A New Way
by entilza
Summary: The Borg get a new leader after the death of the previos Queen. She leads the Borg on a mission of Galactic Conquest. Prequel to Clash of the Titans.
1. Chapter 1

**A New Way**

**Chapter One: Pawn Into Queen**

The light in the Borg Queen's eyes died as they reflected the bright orange explosions beginning to consume the Unicomplex. She had been foolish. She knew that now. She'd been overconfident. She should have suspected that Janeway had a plan. Now though, it was too late. Her last thoughts were of what would become of the collective without her. Then darkness surrounded her and she knew no more.

Outside in space the Borg Unicomplex exploded apart. Connector tubes flashed and exploded, most of the structures exploded from within and the few that were left were annialated by impacts with debris. Across Borg space the Collective ground to a halt. Without the guiding influence of the Queen they were lost.

Then new programming came to them. A program put there by the Queen at the dawn of the Collective in case this ever happened. The Collective would operate on their core protocols, and seek out a new leader for the Borg. The Collective was damaged, but not out. Not yet.

"SELECTION OF NEW COLLECTIVE CENTER PROSEEDING. TEN THOUSAND POSSIBLITLITIES. PROCESSING…………PROCESSING…………SELECTION NARROWED TO ONE THOUSAND POSSIBILITIES. ACCESSING FILES FROM DRONE ONE OF ONE. ANALYZING DATA FROM PONTENTIAL DRONES….PROCESSING……SELECTION CONFIRMED. DRONE EIGHT OF TEN. PRESENT LOCATION: MATURATION CHAMBER SIX ON BOARD CUBE 1674. INITIATING NEW DIRECTIVE.

On board one of the Collective's many thousands of Cubes the doors to a maturation chamber opened with a hiss and a few moments later a form stepped out. When the steam cleared the form was revealed to be a human girl. She looked around twelve years old and was clad in partial Borg armor. Her black hair was thin and falling out from her time in the chamber. Her dark blue eyes were expressionless as she had been undergoing nero resequencing. She walked forward and stopped in front of several drones, waiting for instructions. Then her link to the Collective was severed. This was necessary, for the Borg needed the drone's individuality to reassert itself before the next stage. The former Queen had left behind detailed instructions for what steps to take to create a new Borg leader.

The girl twitched and fell to her knees. Her breathing became sharp and shallow.

"Where are the voices? I can't hear the voices!" She cried. She was just Borg enough that she missed the voices. They had been with her ever since she could remember.

"CONTROL YOUR EMOTIONS EIGHT OF TEN," the voices told her. Now though they were speaking to her from the cube's comm. system, not directly into her mind.

"What's happening to me?" She asked.

"Something wonderful," a comforting voice said. A hologram of the Queen appeared in front of her. She had created this program.

"Who are you?"

"I was the Borg. If you are seeing this, then I have been lost. I have left behind this program to assist you in becoming the new leader of the Collective."

"Me, leader of the Borg?" She asked. The Queen nodded.

"The Collective has looked over the data of every drone in the collective and selected you as the best choice. I always felt that if a calm and ordered mind was not the answer then perhaps one full of imagination and creativity was the correct choice. Something I learned during mylife is that ingenuity is sometimes a very powerful weapon."

"But, I'm just a child," she said. Already her individuality was returning.

"Yes, but you are also a very bright child. That is why you were selected. Your data tells that you were a child prodigy. You enjoyed strategy games and were the smartest child in your school. Then you ran away."

"Yes," the girl said, getting a bit angry. "My parents were two of the Federation's top scientists. I was always trying to be like them but I was never good enough! So finally I went off on my own to prove them wrong. That's when I encountered the Borg. Then I was here."

"And now you are about to become the most powerful being in the galaxy. The Collective will never abandon you my child. You now have all the friends you will ever need."

"I'll never be alone," she whispered to herself. She'd never had friends before. She had always been busy with her studies and other children thought she was too snotty. In fact she'd just been trying to pass on her knowledge. She'd wanted to help others but they hadn't understood. "You promise?"

"I promise. You will soon lead the Borg, they will do whatever you command. That is, if you accept."

"Yes, I accept," she said a moment later. She had always dreamed of being able to help other. Now she could help the entire galaxy become great.

"Well then, all that is left is for you to choose your name," the Queen's hologram said.

Her name before she'd been assimilated had been Alissa.

"My name is Alissa, Alissa of Borg."

**How was that for an opening? In the next chapter you'll see Alissa become the new Queen and begin her new life. Tell me if you like this story. Don't be afraid to say what you think. Well, see ya in the next chapter, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	2. Taking the Reigns

**Chapter Two: Taking the Reigns **

**Reviewers: Thanks for the encouragement.**

**m6l99: Thanks. Alissa is going to be different from the last Borg Queen. I'll read your story as soon as I can. **

**gta5cjss: Thanks, I hope you like this chapter. **

**The BEE: Thanks**

Cube 1674 dropped out of Transwarp in orbit of a Borg planet. With the Unicomplex gone Alissa had chosen this planet to be the center of the Collective for now. Dozens of vessels were orbiting the planet. In the time it had taken for the Cube to make its way to the planet Alissa had restored her appearance to what it had been. Unlike her predecessor, she had not elected to become a disembodied head.

In one of the cube's many viewing bays the new Queen and the original Queen's hologram were watching the planet come into view.

"Well, what do you think?' Alissa asked. She had regrown her hair and it now reached the middle of her back. Her skin was normal but she was clad in a suit of Borg exoplating like the original Queen. Her left arm was also covered in a web of metal that supported a Borg plasma weapon.

"You look beautiful," her holographic friend replied. The Queen's program was actually semi-sentient. It was a bit less advanced than an EMH but more than sufficient for Alissa. "Now, are you ready?"

"I'm ready," Alissa replied. Her link to the Collective was about to be restored, but this time she would be the guiding voice of it all.

"All right. Here we go." Slowly the voices of the Collective began speaking to Alissa. First just one, then two, three, a hundred. It continued and for a moment Alissa was afraid she would lose herself in the tide of voices. Then it was finished. She could hear them all now. The collective filled her mind.

"I can hear them all," she said. "It's incredible. There are so many of them. They're all waiting for me to tell them what to do."

"Well then, tell them what you want done." Alissa thought for a minute.

"Ok. Well, the first thing we must do is rebuild the Unicomplex. Second we have to rebuild the Transwarp Hub Janeway destroyed. Without it the Collective's movements are slowed."

"WE WILL COMPLY," the Collective answered. Alissa felt the massive might of the Borg move in response to her thoughts.

"Wow," Alissa said. "I just thought of what I wanted and it happened."

"Like I said Alissa, you rule the Borg now. They will do anything you want them to do."

After construction had begun on the Unicomplex and Transwarp Hub Alissa began a review of all the resources under her control. She absorbed an incredible amount of information in just a few hours. The Collective's supplies of raw materials were still nearly full. It would take a fair portion of them to complete Alissa's construction plans, but that didn't matter.

After she regenerated she put her mind to thinking what she would do next. She called the Queen's hologram to her. She was still relying on her to help her. She had been the first person she had met when she had emerged from the maturation chamber and was fast becoming a friend. Her program was also growing, becoming more complex and as a result the two Queens were fast becoming friends. This was only natural sense they were the only two drones with personalities.

"Tell me," Alissa said. "With all the power the Borg have, why haven't we conquered the entire galaxy by now?"

"A good question," the Queen replied. "I knew that once this galaxy was assimilated, the Borg would have no way to reach others. So the Borg expanded slowly over the centuries. Once we found a race with the technology for intergalactic travel the assimilation of this galaxy could begin." Alissa nodded.

"But that approach never yielded results. Perhaps the technology does exist but it either lies with a race we have not encountered yet, or perhaps several technologies we already possess can accomplish that if they were combined."

"Perhaps, but the Borg gain knowledge from assimilation, not by themselves."

"That's about to change," Alissa said. "I am a prodigy, and by abilities have only become stronger since my assimilation. I can do the research myself," she said. "Tell me, what do you think of humanity?"

"They are one of the most resistant races the Borg have ever encountered. They have resisted all our efforts to assimilate them." The Queen replied.

"That is only because we have never expended any significant effort. We only send one vessel at a time. Each of those times they have barely managed to stop us, so imagine what would happen of we sent ten vessels. Once the Unicomplex and Transwarp Hub are back online I'm going to start what the Borg should have done a long time ago," Alissa said, smiling. In the meantime, she had some research to do.

**How was that? Sorry the chapters are so short. I promise the next one will be longer. In the next chapter some time will have gone by. I hope you like it when I'm done. Well, see ya in the next chapter, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: A New Start**

**Reviewers: **

**m6l99: Thanks. There might be more sentient drones, I don't know yet.**

**lionhead: Glad you like it. I'm a big fan of the Borg too. It's not. It was just an idea that popped into my head one day and I decided to make a story out of it. **

**Lennox RH: They will indeed. They may, or they may steamroll right over it with a hundred thousand Cubes. **

**angelus288: Thank you. You couldn't be more right. **

**andromeda rocks: Thank you for your enthusiasm. **

**DrkDrake: Cool, so which would you like to lead if you had the chance? The Borg looked for someone with great tactical and strategic abilities, as well as good thinking and planning skills. Yes, it takes years to restructure the mind. Look for planet details soon. This story takes place before Clash of the Titans so you should read this first. Also, I may rewrite that story to compensate for the changes that may come up in this story. **

Alissa gazed out proudly at the rebuilt Borg Unicomplex. It had taken nearly five months to rebuild the massive structure, but now it was back and better than ever. Its defense fleet had been tripled in size and the facility itself now had its own dedicated defense grid. Alissa had also taken the liberty of installing subspace minefields at a distance of one light year from the Unicomplex. Every Borg vessel was equipped with its own set of codes that would allow it through. If any other vessel attempted to use the codes, extremely small energy signature errors programmed into them would cause the mines to detonate.

Alissa and the Queen were presently in Alissa's command center, which she called the throne room. It was basically a large chamber in the center of the Unicomplex. At the far end was a throne of metal with a regeneration interface. The Borg banner hung from dozens of flag poles and was etched into the floor. The entire corridor was ten meters high and a hundred meters long.

"Impressive isn't it?" Alissa asked.

"Yes, but who will ever see it?" The Queen asked.

"I will. Besides, it has been said that every queen needs a palace. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the essential things," Alisa said, and a holographic projection of the galaxy appeared. Borg space was indicated as a green sphere, with the rest of the galaxy divided into different colors based on race. "At this time I have over a thousand scout vessels gathering data on the various races, the majority concentrating here in the Delta Quadrant. So far I have identified three races I believe pose the greatest threat to us in the galaxy. Number one, assuming they attempt another invasion, is Species 8472. The only race to ever truly resist us. Race two is the Voth. Their technology is advanced enough that they could theoretically disable one of our Cubes without firing a shot. Their Transwarp technology is also more advanced than ours and they possess personal cloaking devises, along with impressive computer technology. The third race is the Dominion in the Gamma Quadrant. They control a region of space nearly as large as our own. They possess impressive construction and troop requisition statistics, and their shape shifter leaders could pose a threat. Do you agree?"

"Yes. Your skills continue to grow. If I may ask, what is your plan?"

"We'll move against races surrounding our borders first. Once we've assimilated and fortified them we'll move against the Voth. We should attempt to locate and assimilate a lone, small ship first. That will give us a chance to analyze their technology and adapt."

"A good plan," the Queen said. "The Collective under my rule simply used the tactic of wearing down an enemy."

"That can be effective, but the main weakness of the Borg I found was that despite our adaptation abilities, we never changed our tactics. We still just go in guns blazing. I will use the fortification of our borders as a test in different fleet compositions and tactics."

Several days later a fleet of ships belonging to Species 11249 was passing close to Borg space. Their vessels possessed durable hulls and powerful weapons. They made a living as mercenaries. Their latest employer had sent them to capture a Borg vessel and bring it back, or at least its debris.

Suddenly five Borg Spheres and a Cube decloaked and opened fire. There was no opening hail, no warning. Half their ships were destroyed before they were even able to return fire. One Sphere was destroyed by the combined fire of the remaining seven ships, and two more damaged before they themselves were destroyed. The entire battle had taken less than three minutes.

"You see?" Alissa asked. "A single large vessel, supported by several smaller warships and using stealth just took out an enemy force that would normally have taken two cubes to defeat."

"Impressive," the Queen replied.

"Yes. Now we will focus on expanding and fortifying our borders. The Collective is now beginning construction of large quantities of automated defense stations and long range sensor assays. That will allow us to deploy larger amounts of out fleet without compromising the integrity of our defenses. Also, we must begin preparations for the assimilation of Species 8472. The starship _Voyager _is presently in the Alpha Quadrant. I have a cloaked Probe shadowing them. It is likely they still possess the information on the nano probes they used against species 8472. At this time I have 2 Tactical Cubes standing by. I plan on assimilating _Voyager _personally. You will accompany me. I am sure the Queen you were created from would enjoy the chance to assimilate Janeway."

"Indeed," the Queen replied.

An hour later two Borg Tactical Cubes entered a Transwarp Hub and set course for the Alpha Quadrant, and this time, nothing would stop them from achieving their goals.

**How was that? In the next chapter the Borg will attack Voyager. Will they succeed, or will Janeway pull another brilliant plan out of her hat? Keep reading and find out. Well, see ya in the next chapter, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	4. Chapter Four: Revenge

**Chapter Four: Revenge**

**Reviewers:**

**DrkDrake: Good choice. So what would your form be if you had to choose one? Would you be a Bio-Titan? Yep, and now they're back. Cloaking is simply one of the many technologies the Borg assimilated but never used. Glad you're enjoying it. As Janeway will soon find out. **

The starship _Voyager _was cruising trough space. She had just left Utopia Plenitia after receiving a refit to equip her with various technologies developed during her journey through the Delta Quadrant. Their first assignment after leaving dry-dock was to survey a nebula that had just finished forming.

Janeway was in her ready room reading a letter from Mark. His marriage had been going badly for the last few months and it appeared he was close to a divorce. Once the survey was completed she would meet Mark and discuss the future. Her door chimed.

"Come in," she called. The door opened and Seven of Nine entered.

"We have arrived and are beginning the survey of the nebula."

"Good. So, did you need something? You didn't need to come all the way up here just to tell me we arrived."

"Indeed. When I was regenerating last night, I experienced a dream similar to the one when the Queen contacted me back in the Delta Quadrant. However, this time it was different. It was as if the entire Collective was resetting itself somehow. All the voices stopped and then resumed. I thought nothing of it until I realized it may have been a delayed reaction from the destruction of the Queen."

"So you think the Borg were trying to adapt to function without a Queen?" Janeway asked.

"I don't know, but I do feel that something is about to happen."

"I've learned to trust your hunches. If there's any Borg activity over the next few days I'll inform you immediately."

Several hours later however, it seemed Seven wouldn't have to wait a few days.

Ensign Kim was analyzing the incoming telemetry from the probes mapping the nebula. They were coordinating their efforts with the _Drake_, a Nebula class ship which was surveying the opposite side of the nebula. Suddenly the sensors picked up a Transwarp signature closing quickly.

"Kim to Janeway!"

"Go ahead."

"Sensors just picked up a Transwarp conduit approaching fast."

"I'm on my way. Alert the _Drake_, have them form up with us and prepare to head for Starbase 157 at maximum warp. I'm on my way.

When Janeway arrived at the bridge she was just in time to see a Transwarp conduit open and release two Borg Tactical Cubes.

"Looks like they decided to skip the whole let us know they're coming thing this time," Tom remarked.

"Take us to warp now!" Janeway ordered. Tom raced to comply, but a salvo of Borg torpedoes impacted and the lights flickered for a moment.

"Warp Drive's offline," Kim reported. "They're targeting our shield generators."

"Fire all weapons. Target the first Cube," Janeway ordered, wondering why the Borg would send two of their strongest vessels to assimilate a single starship.

"They must be wondering why we've come for them," Alissa said.

"The second Starfleet vessel is entering weapon range," the Queen said.

"Have the second vessel assimilate it. We will focus our attack on _Voyager_." Together Alissa and the Queen watched the _Drake_ fire phasers and torpedoes at the second Tactical Cube. Its weapons only inflicted the most minor damage. The Borg adapted quickly.

"Captain Janeway, my ship will tractor you and get us both out of here," Captain Thomas Gale said.

"It's too late. The Borg have us surrounded. Go, we can handle ourselves. We can hide in the Nebula until you can gather a fleet. Don't worry Captain, I've outfought the Borg before," Janeway said. She watched as the _Drake_ engaged its warp drive and vanished. "Tom, take us into the Nebula. With any luck the Cube's sensors will be as blind in there as ours."

"Yes mam," Lieutenant Paris replied. "Laying in a course." Seconds later the orange and yellow gases of the newly formed nebula surrounded _Voyager_.

"They think they can hide from us in the Nebula," Alissa said. "Fools. Have the other Cube circle the perimeter. Our vessel will enter the nebula and force_ Voyager_ out into open space." Alissa and the Queen watched as the nebula engulfed them. Sensors were reduced to one tenth of their normal range, but the Cube would never give up. No one could hide from the Borg.

"Warp drive should be back online in about two hours," Be'lanna stated.

"We still have to figure out a way to evade the Cube on the outside," Harry replied. "Our last scans before we entered the nebula showed the second Tactical Cube was circling the nebula's perimeter."

"And with sensors practically useless, we have no idea where it will be when we leave," Chakotay said.

"My question is why the Borg suddenly came after us. Any ideas Seven?" Janeway asked.

"Perhaps there is something aboard that the Collective desires," Seven of Nine replied.

"But what?" Kim asked. "If the Borg wanted the new technologies Starfleet's developing why not just go for Earth again?"

"He's right. It has to be something that only exists on this ship," Janeway replied. Then it hit her. "The Doctor's mobile emitter! The Borg learned of it when Seven's Nano Probes merged with it."

"If the Borg gain possession of it, the Collective would become far more powerful," Seven stated. "If we are unable to escape from the nebula, we must destroy it."

"Be'lanna, I want Warp Drive back online in one hour. We have to get back to Starfleet and warn them about the possible change in the Borg."

"I'll get right on it," Be'lanna said, getting up to head back to Engineering.

"We should have them soon," Alissa said. "The second Cube hasn't detected any readings, so that means they are likely near the center of the nebula." Alissa and the Queen watched as a map of the nebula slowly shrank until they had _Voyager_ on their scanners. "Lock on a tractor beam and take down their shields," Alissa ordered.

_Voyager _suddenly rocked violently.

"It's the Cube," Harry reported. "They used a radiation cloud to mask their approach."

"Full impulse. Take us out of the nebula," Janeway ordered. The ship started moving but stopped with a jolt.

"They have locked on a tractor beam," Tuvok reported. "They are draining our shields."

"Have a security team secure Sickbay. The Borg are sure to try and obtain the mobile emitter."

"Shields are gone," Kim reported. A moment later ten Borg drones beamed onto the bridge. The senior officers drew their phasers and killed half the drones before the rest adapted. Tom was retuning his when a drone grabbed his shoulder and injected its tubules into his neck. He fell to the floor.

Janeway raised her phaser and cut down the drone that had assimilated Tom. His body had vanished a moment after he had fallen. She made for the turbo lift, but was caught and thrown to the floor by a drone. Chakotay killed it but was injected in the back by a drone Tuvok had knocked down. She retuned her phaser and killed a drone which was interfacing with the helm station.

In Sickbay a team of five security officers kept their phaser trained on the door. Fist marks began appearing. Then suddenly there was a whine of transporters behind them. Five Borg drones beamed into the back part of Sickbay: four tactical drones and Alissa. She raised her arm mounted weapon and fire five times. The small metal pellets hit the security officers and they fell, veins bulging and skin turning gray.

"Perfect," she said. Her weapon fired small blocks of Nano Probes which stunned a body and assimilated it. She walked over to the Doctor's office, where the mobile emitter lay in a capsule. She reached for it when one of the security officers, who had only been hit in the shoulder, raised his phaser and fired, vaporizing the emitter. Alissa screamed in anger, stalked over to the man, and broke his neck in her small hand.

"No matter," she said. The emitter had not been the only thing she had come here for. She extended her tubules and interfaced with the computer, swiftly finding the information on the modified Nano Probes. She downloaded it to the Cube and beamed out, leaving the other drones to complete the assimilation of Sickbay.

On the bridge, Janeway was the only one left. She had tried to order a self-destruct, but the Borg had locked out the main computer. She fired her phaser again, but the Borg had adapted and her shot was absorbed by the drone's shielding. She was about to turn her weapon on herself when two of the drones grabbed her. They forced the phaser from her hand and stunned her with Nano Probes. With their objective complete, the drones and Janeway were beamed back to the Cube.

An hour later the assimilation of _Voyager_ had been completed. The Cube secured it to the hull and exited the nebula. The second Tactical Cube formed up with them. A small Federation fleet had just dropped out of warp, led by the _Enterprise._

"Picard," Alissa said. "I believe I will allow him to escape this time. We have what we came for, but I promise you, when we return to the Alpha Quadrant, Locutus will rejoin the Collective," Alissa said as the two Cubes entered Transwarp and vanished, along with the means for the Borg to assimilate the most powerful race ever to challenge the Borg. Species 8472 would soon feel the wrath of the Collective, as would Janeway.

**How was that? At least Janeway put up a fight, and Alissa was kind enough to let Picard go, for the moment. In the next chapter the Borg will begin an offensive against Species 8472, and Janeway will meet the new leader of the Borg. What will become of Seven of Nine? Will she join Alissa, or will she merely be used to find the key to creating loyal, independent drones? Keep reading and find out. Well, see ya all in the next chapter, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Introductions**

**Reviewers: **

**DrkDrake: A good choice. I'd probably be a winged Tyrant with every possible upgrade. Glad you liked the chapter. They were designed to stun her. I'm sure he does. They will assimilate all the 8472 technology and then wipe them out. Sound good? Yes, a long boring speech followed by a healthy dose of Nano Probes. **

**Vortex Inferno: I'm glad you like it. The Queen had a thing for Picard I think, but since he was resisting nothing ever happened. **

**DarkOZ: Indeed. Hahaha! Lameway. Haven't heard that one before, funny. **

**angelus288: Indeed, sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. I imagine she'll be in for a shock. That will be coming up in the next chapter. Because the emitter is from the 29th century. Did you ever see the Voyager episode One? The mobile emitter created a drone with personal transporters, kinetic shields. Just imagine what it could do to a Borg vessel. **

When Captain Janeway came to, the first thing that hit her was that she was lying on something soft. Slowly her eyes opened and she sat up. She was in her quarters aboard _Voyager._ Her head felt like it had been hit with a hammer.

"Was it all a dream?" She asked the empty room.

It wasn't. The lights suddenly turned green and two Borg drones stepped through the door. Janeway looked around for something to fight them with, but other than the bed the room was bare. So she flung the comforter onto the two drones and shoved them into the wall. She burst out into the corridor and found it lined with Borg Alcoves. Several drones activated at either end of the corridor, and from within Janeway's quarters came the sound of ripping fabric as the first two drones freed themselves.

She ran down the corridor, but a Borg force field trapped her at one end. The two drones from her quarters grabbed her, and the three of were transported on board one of the Tactical Cubes.

Four droned escorted Janeway through many corridors until they reached a door, an unusual feature on a Borg vessel. It opened with a hiss, revealing the last thing Janeway would have ever expected to see on a Borg vessel. She was standing in what, to all intents and purposes, looked like a child's room. A large bed sat in one corner, a bookcase in another. There were posters of Federation starships on every wall, and a small photograph of two adults and a child in a silver frame sat on a desk. A computer screen was playing the assimilation of _Voyager_ in a loop.

"What do you think Captain?" A voice asked. Janeway turned and saw the Borg Queen standing at the far end of the room. Her breath caught in her throat.

"But you're dead," she said.

"Not yet. The Borg can never be defeated, and I am part of the Borg, so I can never truly die."

"Why did you come after my ship?"

"You possessed technology that would benefit the Collective," the Queen replied. "You're wondering what the purpose of this room is aren't you?"

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"It was created partially to confuse you, and partly because it was requested."

"Requested. By who?" Janeway asked.

"By me," a small voice answered. Janeway turned and saw a small girl, no more than twelve years old, enter through a door. She was clad in Borg armor, with a metallic mesh covering her left arm, ending in some sort of weapon, but other than that she appeared human. She had dark brown hair that spilled down her back, ending just below her waist, and bright green eyes.

"Who are you?"

"The Borg," the girl replied. "You may call me Alissa."

Janeway was stunned. The Queen she thought had been destroyed by Admiral Janeway's sacrifice was now standing right in front of her, along with a girl who claimed SHE was the Borg leader.

"I imagine you're wondering how there can be two Queens. The answer is there aren't," Alissa said, passing her hand through the body of the Queen.

"A hologram," Janeway said.

"Yes, but no ordinary hologram. She was created in case the Borg ever suffered the loss of their leader. After you destroyed her and the Unicomplex, the Collective chose me to lead the Borg. So I guess I should say thank you for creating me."

"You haven't assimilated me, so I assume you were waiting to show me something."

"Not really," Alissa replied. "I just wanted you to live long enough to see the fate you brought upon the galaxy." The computer changed to show an armada of hundreds of Borg Cubes gathering around what Janeway realized with a sickening feeling was a quantum singularity.

"You're going to war with species 8472 again," she whispered.

"Correct," Alissa replied. "Of course, it's all thanks to you." A moment later the Doctor appeared in the room, but he was different. He looked like a drone, except his face was still the same, and he still had both his hands.

"Doctor?" Janeway asked.

"Not as you remember me. I am part of Alissa's collective now," the Doctor replied in a calm voice.

"You see Captain, the Doctor's program in very easy to modify, especially when you're a child prodigy like me," Alissa said in a bragging tone. "Just a simple matter of deleting his ethical subroutines and a few other alterations. You see, I've been experimenting, and I've discovered that the core personality of a person can be preserved through assimilation. It's a simple matter of altering other neural pathways. So far the subjects have all expired, but I am making progress."

"Expired! You mean murdered don't you?" Janeway replied. She was horrified. The original Borg Queen had been cold, but this Alissa was beyond that.

"It all depends on your point of view. Consider this Captain: The galaxy as it is imperfect. It is filled with war, disease and famine. Races fighting each other for the smallest and most trivial things. The Borg experience none of this. That is because we do not care for the trivial aspects of life. We do not fight over resources. We do not contract disease. We are the perfect race."

"No, you're the worst race," Janeway replied. "You don't understand that sometimes conflict and chaos is a natural part of life. Everyone has their own opinion and way they want to live. The Borg only seek to take those freedoms away. You're right that there is no disorder in the collective, but that is because there is no free will."

"That may soon change. Once I have perfected my neural reconfiguration process I intend to create a series of drones with independent will. They will serve as commanders, each tasked with a single purpose. I could make you one of those commanders. You could be tasked with exploring new sectors of space and identifying potential races for assimilation. If you agree I promise that when we assimilate humanity I will allow Mark to be with you. I may not even assimilate him," Alissa said.

Janeway froze for a moment, then realized the Nano Probes she had been injected with were affecting her mind.

"Never. You think I'd condemn billions to assimilation for personal gain?"

"Very well then," Alissa said. She slipped a gauntlet onto the Queen's arm and she stuck her assimilation tubules into Janeway's neck. She went limp but didn't feel her mind being eaten away. "The Nano Probes I gave you were special. They will assume control your autonomic systems but leave your mind intact. You will carry out your task, but you will have no choice. I can think of no worse a fate for you. Farewell, Kathryn Janeway," Alissa said before Janeway was beamed to Voyager, where she would remain for as long as Alissa willed. "Now, let us observe 8472's response."

The first wave of the Borg invasion entered Fluidic Space and was set upon by a wave of bio-ships. Bio-beams cut Cubes apart, but waves of Borg torpedoes lashed back, and Bio-ships wrinkled up and were destroyed, except one which was damaged by hundreds of Cubes and boarded. The pilot was killed, and the ship taken back to the Unicomplex. The Borg's ascension had begun.

**How was that? Alissa sentenced Janeway to the worst fate imaginable, and the assimilation of species 8472 has begun. How will it end? Will 8472 manage to beat back the Collective again, or will the most powerful race the Borg have encountered join with the Collective? Keep reading and find out. In the next chapter the first of Alissa's Borg Commanders will be found, and 8472 will begin their counterattack. What will happen next? Find out in the next chapter. See ya then, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Plans and New Blood**

**Reviewers:**

**DrkDrake: Double ouch! They will strike back yes, but this time the Borg will be ready for them. The Commanders will be like Zerg Cerebrates, independent minds, but incapable of turning on their master. **

**angelus288: I don't think Voyager is on TV anymore. It may be on cable. You could always rent it off Netflix. I hope you enjoy the coming war. **

**Erin King: Why thank you. **

**Vortex Inferno: Thank you. The time between chapters will usually by only a few days unless I say otherwise. **

A fleet of 8472 bio-ships exited a singularity and began their attack on Borg system 2578. There were three hundred bio-ships and a defending fleet of six hundred Borg vessels. The bio-ships focused their initial attach on the two hundred Cubes, gouging their hulls with bio-beams, but it took five hits to actually destroy one. Alissa had analyzed all available data on 8472's weapons and had created adaptations that, while unable to completely shield a vessel, was able to reduce the effectiveness of the weapon by 20 percent.

The 8472 fleet carved their way through the Borg fleet, but lost over half their number to nano probe torpedoes. With the defense fleet neutralized, nine bio-ships came together and fired their planet-buster weapon. Massive cracks quickly spread across the planet, and a few seconds later the target world exploded apart.

"That makes seven planets in five days," Alissa said. "But this time I am prepared."

As the 8472 vessels were heading back to their rift, a cloaked mine exploded, sending out a shockwave of nano probes. The entire bio-ship fleet shriveled and exploded in blue detonations.

"Even if 8472 is victorious, they still loose."

"Our war against them is proceeding as planned," the Queen said. "We have destroyed over ten thousand of their bio-ships and the number increases daily. However, I am concerned that 8472 may be preparing to concentrate their efforts on our worlds and ignore our ships.

"That is why I have diverted resources to construct defense platforms and minefields and over important worlds," Alissa said. "The first has already been completed." The view changed to show the image of a Borg world. Perfect grid work structures covered the surface, and geometric patterns of towers and spires sprouted up, containing sensor arrays and power generators. In orbit, hundreds of Borg torpedo platforms slowly rotated in orbit. They were cube shaped, with a torpedo launcher on every side.

"Impressive, but it will take time and resources to construct a defense net over every world under our dominion," the Queen said. Alissa nodded.

"I know, but by then it is my hope that we will have enhanced our technology with that of species 8472." Just then the Doctor appeared in the room. He had been assigned the task of analyzing the corpse of the 8472 pilot they had captured, as well at the bio-ship itself.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting," he said. Alissa had left the majority of his personality subroutines intact. For all her power and genius, she enjoyed the chance to talk to others.

"Not at all Doctor. What do you have to report?" Alissa asked.

"Well, I'm about halfway through decoding the DNA of the corpse you gave me, although it would have been more useful alive. Anyway, I must thank you for your assistance. Without the resources of the Collective I would have needed years to decode it. As it is, I believe I have identified a weak point in one of their base proteins that, if hit with a large enough dose of transphasic radiation, would cause an immediate cellular breakdown. Death would occur within seconds. However I'll need another few days to complete my research."

"Very well Doctor. Complete your work as soon as possible." The Doctor gave a short bow and vanished back to his research lab. "He is proving to be a most valuable resource," Alisa said. "Now, as you know, I've been working on adapting 8472's weapons and hull technology for Borg vessels. 8472 weapons use extremely focused plasma energy, and use a focusing method that relies on bio-energy to contain it. It will take time, but I am confident I can find a way to modify our own containment fields to do the same. In the meantime, I believe I have identified the first candidate for my Commander Program."

"Who have you chosen?" The Queen asked.

"Eight of ten, primary adjunct of Unimatrix 942. His name is K'trel. His species, the Keruthi, were assimilated three months ago. They were a race of scientists and were geniuses in the field of weapons technology. Over three hundred vessels were lost in their assimilation. K'trel was part of a group that believed his race should abandon their isolationist policy and begin relations with other races. His neural reconfiguration should be complete in a few moments," Alissa said, indicating a maturation chamber. A few seconds later the chamber opened. Steam flooded the room. After it dissipated Alissa and the Queen got their first look at the first Borg Commander. He was just under two meters tall and looked about twenty-five. Alissa's modifications had regrown his hair, which was dark brown and came down to his neck. One of his eyes was a glowing implant, the other a shining green organic. He wore standard Borg armor, with the exception of still having both his arms intact.

"Where am I?" He asked.

"You are in Maturation chamber complex 173, a part of the primary Borg Unicomplex. You are part of the Collective. I recognized your talents for weapon design and so kept you from becoming a mindless drone."

"I remember what happened to me just fine. Tell me, why are we even having this conversation? From what I know of the Borg there are no individuals, only the Collective."

"Then how do you explain me?" Alissa asked. "Also, there is the Queen here, as well as the Doctor." At that, both the Doctor and Queen's programs appeared. "When I took control of the Collective I decided that a degree of independent thought was required. That is why I began searching for individuals with the ability to serve as Commanders. You are the second, after the Doctor. I am offering you the chance to design weapons and technology beyond that which you ever thought possible. You will also be given your own command vessel which you may design."

"Why are you giving me this chance?" K'trel asked. Already the thought of working with the Collective was becoming more appealing, partly because of his past but mostly due to Alissa's nano probes. He remembered his past, how others had hated and ridiculed him for his political views. Now he was being offered the opportunity to design weapons that never would have been allowed on his homeworld. "Very well, I agree."

"Excellent," Alissa said, a smile crossing her face. The group was then beamed to a laboratory outfitted with the most advanced computers and technologies in the Collective. "This will be your workplace. If there is anything you require merely ask and it will be provided."

"I understand. Now, if you don't mind, I will begin," he said and brushed past Alissa and began absorbing data.

"I bit inconsiderate," the Queen said once she and Alissa were beamed back to the throne room.

"Perhaps, but all that truly matters is that he is now working for the Collective. Soon we will have the means to defeat any foe we may face. Including species 8472. Also, my flagship has just been completed," Alissa said. The viewscreen changed to show a Borg Diamond, but one which was ten times the size of the standard vessel. It was covered in heavy armor and shield generators and attended by a force of fifty Tactical Cubes.

"An impressive vessel," the Queen said.

"I know. With this force I will lead an assault of the Krenim. Their temporal technology is interesting, and I am sure I will be able to obtain a great deal of data from them. Possibly even a new commander."

Three days later Emily's attack fleet was assembled: One hundred Tactical Cubes, three hundred Assimilation Cubes, eight hundred Spheres, twelve hundred Probes and Alissa's flagship. Alissa was planning to attack in a blitzkrieg campaign. She would overwhelm the Krenim before they could gather in any force to oppose her. Once the Krenim had been assimilated and 8472 defeated the entire Delta Quadrant would be next. Nothing could stop the Collective now.

**How was that? In the next chapter the assimilation of the Krenim will begin and the next phase of the 8472 war will be launched. What will happen next? Find out in the next chapter. Well, see ya then, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	7. Chapter Seven: Expansion

**Chapter Seven: Expansion**

Alissa stared out at the yellow and black streaks of the Transwarp conduit as her attack force closed in on its target. Three other strike forces were on their way to major Krenim worlds. She was taking no chances. The Krenim would fall in one motion.

"We're nearly there," Alissa said. "Once the Krenim homeworld is ours, along their major shipyards and population centers, their empire will be crippled."

"Are you certain you wish to lead the assault on the Krenim homeworld?" Asked the Queen.

"Yes. My ship's armor can withstand sustained fire from their weapons, and I will be at the rear of the battle, so the danger is minimal. Besides, simply doing research all the time is boring. Ah, we're here," Alissa said as the force dropped out of transwarp fifty thousand kilometers from the Krenim homeworld. There was no opening message, no warning. The Borg came in firing. Three hundred ships were there to meet them, along with an impressive number of orbital weapon platforms. Thousands of Chronoton torpedoes scythed through the Borg fleet, destroying three hundred probes and thirty-four spheres.

"They are concentrating on our smaller vessels first," the Queen observed as the Borg return volley blew apart dozens of Krenim warships. As the Borg closed on the planet, the orbital batteries opened up as well. The platforms each mounted a dozen torpedo launchers and impressive shielding.

"There. Now that they're all involved, I have a little surprise for them," Alissa said, smiling as two hundred Borg Harbringers decloaked and tired massive volleys of tri-cobalt warheads, destroying over a hundred ships and five weapon platforms in the first three volleys. The battle had now well and truly turned.

On board the Krenim flagship, Defense Admiral Obrist ordered his ships to warp out to the newest Borg arrivals. They were armed with long range weapons which were more than three times as powerful as a Chronoton torpedo. Unless they were neutralized the defense grid would be taken apart.

"Sir, the second fleet has just entered range of the system and are requesting orders," Obrist's first officer reported.

"Order them to concentrate their efforts on the Borg artillery ships. Cancel my previous order to advance. All Home Guard ships are to focus their fire one the Borg Cubes. Status on the evacuation?" When the incoming Borg fleet had first been detected, the Krenim Council had known they could not stop it, so they had ordered an evacuation of the homeworld. They would gather their forces for a counterstrike and then reclaim their world.

"Half the transports have launched. They will be clear to engage warp drive in two minutes." Obrist relaxed a bit. Most of his family was on one of the transports, including his brother.

"Once the second wave launches have the fleet to form up around them. Have we received any word yet from the fifth fleet?" The last he had heard the fifth fleet was engaged with a large Borg fleet near the Aren Sen shipyards.

"No sir. Their last transmission reported that they had been surrounded and were attempting to withdraw." Suddenly the ship was rocked by torpedo impacts and seven drones beamed aboard. The bridge officers drew their weapons and cut them down. Their hand weapons used miniaturized versions of their torpedoes, which meant the Borg shields were useless. The drones dropped and vanished.

"Shields restored," an officer reported a moment later. "Sir, the second evacuation wave has left the surface. The fleet is moving to join with them."

Obrist took one last look at his homeworld. "Prepare to-" suddenly there was an enormous explosion from the front ranks of the evacuation fleet. "Sensors, what just happened!"

"Some kind of extremely high-yield weapon sir. Half the fleet is destroyed or disabled."

"Order the functional vessels to beam the survivors off those disabled and continue on course."

Alissa watched as the second Krenim evacuation fleet ran straight into her mine. She was enjoying this. The Krenim had put up an impressive fight, and space was littered with the wreckage of hundreds of Borg vessels. Alissa's flagship itself was burning in several locations from the attack of the second Krenim fleet. She had been prepared for their arrival though, and her fifty Tactical cubes, which had been cloaked, had destroyed the fleet quickly. Still, fifteen of her guard vessels were gone, and more were regenerating from heavy damage.

"Allow them to escape. I want to see where they will go." She paused for a moment as she accessed data on the other battles going on in Krenim space. Of the three targets, one had managed to survive, though their defense fleet had sustained over eighty percent casualties. The other two targets had been assimilated. "Move the fleet in closer. Destroy the orbital batteries and begin assimilation of the remaining population." Of the three hundred million inhabitants, barely a third had been evacuated. The Borg were victorious.

"What will our next move be?" Asked the Queen.

"Once the Doctor and K'trel finish their research, I plan to begin an invasion of Fluidic Space. As long as Species 8427 has somewhere to hide they will remain a threat. After we have integrated 8472's bio-technology, we will begin operations against the Voth. Also, since I'm always looking for new ways to amuse myself, I recently identified a sector of space on the far side of the Quadrant where two races are engaged in a large war. Since neither of them will have heard of us, I plan on aiding one side. For the first time even the Borg may actually have an ally. For as long as it amuses me that it," Alissa said as she watched the first nano probe bombs enter the atmosphere. All life on the planet would be drones within days. "For now though, I believe I'll get some sleep. This battle was a bit tiring."

She closed her eyes and beamed back to her room. It was in the center of the ship and composed of ten rooms, each decorated differently. Alissa wanted to begin collecting artifacts from the races the Borg assimilated. It would become her newest hobby. As she relaxed on her massive bed, with a regeneration field glowing a soft green from underneath, she dreamed of the day she would return to Earth. She would save it for last so when she finally did assimilate it, the fools who had rejected her would realize what a mistake they had made. As she closed her eyes, she also dreamed of finding someone who could be her friend. Perhaps she would finally be truly happy.

**How was that? In the next chapter, the Borg will enter a war actually on one side. Who will they choose? What will the Krenim survivors do now? And will Alissa find a true friend? Find out in the next chapter. See ya then, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	8. Chapter Eight: Allies and Emotions

**Chapter Eight: Allies and Emotions**

Alissa woke slowly after a restful sleep. She pushed the heavy comforter and silk sheets off herself and put on her armor. She searched the Cube's information banks and found that her fleet was less than an hour from the war zone she had become interested in. She called up a projection of the available data. A moment later the Queen's hologram appeared.

"Have you chosen which side you are going to aid?" The Queen asked.

"Yes," Alisa replied. Two projections appeared. One was of a tall reptilian humanoid. Spines thrust from its back and large claws extended from four fingered hands. "Species 10036, Resalian. Physically strong, average cranial capacity, resilient to physical harm. Their ships tend to be slow but powerful with strong shields. Their weapons include high yield phasers and powerful torpedoes."

"An impressive species. Worthy of assimilation," the Queen replied. "And the second race?" The next hologram displayed a figure far different from the Resalian. It was a few centimeters shorter and slimmer, with distinctly feline traits. Pointed ears and mirrored eyes colored a dark yellow. A light layer of fur covered the visible sections of flesh and short claws extended and retracted from five fingered hands. A long tail also extended from the waist, swishing slowly.

"Species 10037, Senai. Extremely quick and agile, with excellent balance. Their warships follow their tradition of speed. Their weapons are not overly powerful but have an impressive rate of fire. They have also developed advanced stealth technology to combat the power of the Resalians. They are the side I have chosen to support."

"If I may ask, why did you not choose the Resalians? They seem to be the better option."

"True, but from what we have learned they are very aggressive and would likely not be interested in an alliance with us. Also, I hate lizards," Alissa replied with a smile. "We should be at the site of one of their major engagements in a few moments. Then we will see if they are interested in an alliance. Whatever the outcome, we will know shortly. We've arrived."

The Senai cruiser _Teshkon _dove in quickly on one flank of the attacking Resalian battlecuiser, followed by the rest of its squadron. Their pulse cannons peppered the Resalian vessel with quick, precise bursts. Moments later their phantom torpedoes slammed into shield sections weakened by the pulse cannons. Return fire found mostly empty space as the lightning quick attack vessels bobbed and weaved, but one ship was hit and tumbled away, trailing debris. Behind the attack vessels the royal flagship slowly maneuvered into range, its Starlight cannons and heavy torpedoes impacting with devastating effect. The enemy battlecuiser's shields failed and the attack ships dove it, torpedoing the bridge and main batteries. The ship began listing. Already space was filed with the wreckage of hundreds of ships, most of them Senai.

"All ships, prepare for the next wave," ordered Emperor Sin'tau. Since first contact had been made with the barbaric Resalians, the Senai had fought valiantly, but they were slowly being pushed back. The Resalian fleets were composed mainly of heavy battleships. The Senai ships, while fast and powerful in its own right, simply did not have the raw firepower to win the war. Already over half the vessels in the First Fleet had been destroyed taking out a force of only twenty Resalian battleships.

"My lord, long range sensors are picking up an enemy fleet approaching. Composition is thirty standard battlecuisers and one heavy command ship," the officer monitoring the sensor station reported. The Emperor hung his head. A fleet that size would overrun the first fleet. They could not retreat, because if they surrender the agricultural colony below the people would starve.

"Order the fleet to form up. We will defend this world with our lives," Sin'tau replied. He could not believe it had come to this. Before the Resalians had come, the Senai Empire had been the strongest in the entire sector. Now they were about to suffer the final blow. He watched as the Resalian heavy fleet dropped out of warp. Their massive ships resembled flying bricks with bulbous growths sprouting weapons. They displayed none of the grace of the sleek silver and gold Senai vessels, with their dagger shaped attack craft and the gleaming royal flagship.

"Lord, there is some sort of wormhole forming between the Resalians and our fleet."

"Bring it up on the main screen." The view changed from the approaching enemy fleet to a green aperture that suddenly spat out 5 cube shaped vessels, a dozen spheres and massive diamond shaped vessel far larger than anything the Senai had ever seen.

Alissa's gaze passed over the two assembled war fleets. The Resalian ships were dark red and shaped like massive bricks. The Senai vessels were gleaming gold and silver daggers. With a thought Alissa ordered her armada to open fire. Borg disruptors and plasma torpedoes lashed out, cutting into the Resalian ships. Her flagship's newly installed Chronoton torpedo launchers sent warheads straight into the bridges and power systems of the Resalian ships. Five ships were crippled instantly and boarded. The Resalians return volley focused on the Borg Cubes, leaving one burning but still mobile and two more with moderate damage. Alissa immediately began calculating ways to adapt. Her vessel and the Resalian flagship quickly entered into a slugging match, but her ship's greater size and regeneration ability soon began to tell.

Emperor Sin'tau could only watch as the unknown ships slugged it out with the Resalian fleet. Already nearly half their fleet was burning but they didn't seem to care, and their Diamond vessel was steadily reducing the Resalian flagship to a burning wreck.

"Hail them," Sin'tau ordered.

"They are responding," his second replied. A moment later the main screen showed an image of a woman clad in black armor. Her skin was gray and tubes extended from the back of her skull, linking into some sort of implants in the back of her head.

"You have my thanks for your assistance. May I ask your name?"

"I am the leader of the Borg. We will speak again after the battle is won," the woman replied, cutting the transmission. Sin'tau's neck fur bristled for a moment, then relaxed as he saw the Resalian flagship explode under a concentrated barrage from the Borg Diamond and a pair of Cubes. The Spheres had all been destroyed, but all but three of the Resalian vessels were gone. A moment later they turned and went to warp. Two Cubes went in pursuit.

"My Lord, the Borg are hailing us."

"Answer them." When the woman's image returned Emperor Sin'tau thought he saw her image flicker for a moment, but he dismissed it as battle damage.

"I am pleased my fleet arrived in time to aid you. I wish to invite you on board my vessel so we may meet face to face."

"It is the custom of my people that first meeting take place on the royal flagship," Sin'tau replied. It was the truth, but he was also wary of these Borg. Their power was great, and they would have to earn his trust.

The Queen's smile wavered. Her program could not go to places without holo emitters. She turned to Alissa, who was standing off to the side. She nodded. She would go.

"Prepare to receive our ambassador," the Queen said. "Are you sure about this?" She asked Alissa.

"Yes. They had to learn about me sooner or later. At least this way it will be on friendly terms," she said as the Diamond began moving in to dock with the Senai royal flagship. Up close the difference in size truly became apparent as the royal flagship was bathed in the Diamond's shadow. As Alissa entered the airlock, the Queen gave her one last smile.

"Be careful," she said.

"Always," Alissa replied as the door opened.

Emperor Sin'tau was waiting as the airlock along with five of his bodyguards, tall warriors covered in armor and wielding long halberds. When the airlock opened his eyes searched for the ambassador, but he saw on one. Then he lowered his gaze and saw a child, no more than thirteen years old standing in the airlock. She was dressed in black armor, with a high neck guard and a flowing red cape that just cleared the ground. She had deep blue eyes and waist length dark brown hair, but the rest of her visible skin was bare. She looked up at Sin'tau and smiled.

"Hello. Greetings in the name of the Borg," she said, bowing.

"Who are you, and where is the other I spoke with?" Sin'tau asked.

"She was a hologram. I am the true leader of the Borg. I simply thought you would respond more favorably if you spoke with someone older. So, shall we get down to business?"

"Follow me," Sin'tau said. Alissa fell into step behind the guards. They walked down long corridors of silver and white. Alissa's eyes passed over long flowing lines of script. Eventually the group arrived at a large chamber with a silver table and an impressive view of space. Alissa could see small ships effecting repairs to some of the Senai vessels. "Now, Sin'tau said once everyone was seated, "let us begin with your motives for becoming involved in our war with the Resalians."

"My reasons are simple. I wanted to help you. I analyzed data on both your people and the Resalians and decided you would respond more favorably to my offer for an alliance."

"Your vessels appear to be extremely powerful. Why would you wish to enter into an alliance with us?"

"So you want simple facts? Very well, allow me to show you something," Alissa said, and closed her eyes. A moment later a large circular object two meters wide appeared on the table in a green haze. It projected a star chart of the galaxy. Borg space was shown in green, covering a large expanse of the Delta Quadrant. "This is the territory currently under the control of the Borg Collective. In the year and a half since I inherited control of the Collective I have expanded our borders by fifteen percent, and that number continues to increase. You have seen our power. If we wished we could easily assimilate your entire empire. However, I decided that it would be interesting to assist other races in need. Yours was the most promising. If you wish, we can begin our alliance right now. I can offer you assistance with repairing your ships and medical treatment for your wounded." Before Sin'tau could reply an aid rushed in and whispered something in his ear.

"I must take my leave for now," Sin'tau said.

"Is something the matter?" Alissa asked. "Perhaps I can help." Sin'tau was silent for a long moment.

"Follow me," he said, walking at a very fast pace. Alissa had to run at times to keep pace with him. After several minutes they arrived at a medical bay. It was already filled with injured from the battle, but Sin'tau strode past them, entering into a side chamber protected by two royal guards. They tensed when they saw Alissa, but a gesture from Sin'tau calmed them. Sin'tau and Alissa passed through a white curtain and came to a bed where a small child was laying. Alissa realized she couldn't have been more than nine years old. Her fur was a light brown streaked with patches of white, but it seemed dull. Her ears were limp and her breathing was shallow.

"Who is this?" Alissa asked. For some reason she felt an instant attachment to the girl. She couldn't explain it.

"Sinal, my daughter," Sin'tau replied. "She was injured in a battle five weeks ago. She was in the ship's garden when an enemy radiation torpedo breached the hull. She received a heavy dose and we have not been able to do anything for her." Sin'tau's fist struck the wall. "I should have protected her!" Alissa came up beside him and put her hand on his arm.

"Don't worry Emperor. I believe I can help her. One moment," Alisa said as she extended her arm and a scanning beam passed slowly over the girl's body.

"What are you doing!" Sin'tau demanded.

"Don't worry; it's a simple medical scan." Alissa closed her eyes for a moment as she analyzed the data. "Yes, I can heal her easily." Sin'tau's head snapped around.

"You can?"

"Of course. All I have to do is program some of my nano probes to reverse the cellular damage and eradicate the infected tissue. A simple injection will be required. May I proceed?" She watched Sin'tau's face as he thought hard. He didn't know anything about this girl. Yet she claimed she could heal his daughter. His own doctors had said that Sinal had at most a week left. He had nothing to lose.

"Very well," Sin'tau replied. "But I warn you, if I suspect for one moment that you are planning to hurt her, I will have you killed."

"I understand," Alissa said. She walked to the bedside and lowered the collar of Sinal's surgical gown. She then extended her other hand and inserted her tubules into Sinal's neck. A wave of grey washed over her skin like a wave, but vanished after a few seconds. Immediately the life-support monitors connected to Sinal changed from yellows and reds to greens and blues. "She should regain consciousness in a few moments."

Sure enough a few seconds later the girl's eyes slowly opened. She blinked a few times and sat up weakly.

"Father?" She said. Sin'tau bent down and enveloped the girl in a hug.

"Sinal. I thought I'd lost you," he said, a tear streaming down his face. He turned to Alissa. "I am in your debt Ms. Alissa. Thank you." Alissa smiled.

"You're welcome. Now, I think I will return to my ship. You should spend some time with your daughter." As Alissa turned to leave she felt a sudden tug on her arm. Sinal was holding onto her hand.

"Thank you," she said, smiling. Alissa felt that feeling again. It was as if she and the girl had a bond she couldn't identify.

"Your welcome. When you're feeling better I'll come back and we can get acquainted." Sinal nodded. "Emperor, whenever you're ready I can begin assisting in the repair and upgrading of your warships. Contact when you're ready." After Alissa left the medical bay Emperor Sin'tau had some checks run on Sinal and the doctors discovered that she was completely healthy. Sin'tau took her back to her quarters where she lay down to get some rest. Meanwhile, Sin'tau started reading the information Alissa had left for him when she'd left.

When Alissa was back aboard her Diamond she relaxed. That had been her first diplomatic mission, but she felt she'd done reasonably well. Still, that girl. Somehow Alissa felt that she would not be someone who would quickly disappear from her life.

**How was that? In the next chapter Alissa and Emperor Sin'tau will form their alliance, and the next stage in the war against Species 8472 will begin. What will happen next? Find out in the next exciting chapter. See ya then, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	9. Chapter Nine: Gifts and Conquest

**Chapter Nine: Gifts and Conquest**

With a deft stroke of her hand Alissa signed her name across a sheet of parchment, and with that the alliance between the Sinai Empire and the Borg Collective was complete. Emperor Sin'tau rolled the scroll up and handed it to an aid, who hurried off.

"So, now that our alliance is official, I believe the time has come to begin the invasion of the Resalian Federation. I have a fleet of five thousand vessels standing by as we speak," Alissa said. "I have already sent the schematics for Transwarp and adaptive shields to your scientists, and I have several ships of materials available if you need them. I have a feeling this is going to be most enjoyable."

"Enjoyable?" Sin'tau asked.

"Yes, once your fleet is in orbit of the Resalian homeworld. They will pay for what they have done to you Emperor Sin'tau. Oh, I have also arranged to have several hundred food replicators sent your worlds which are experiencing shortages. That should give your people some relief."

"You have been most generous, but you have not asked for anything in return for your help."

"I know. The only technology that the Collective does not currently have is your stealth technology. It would prove most valuable."

"I will have a generator transferred to your vessel. Also, Sinal has been asking to see you."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Ever since you saved her life she has spent a great deal of her time making something for you. However she would not tell me what it is."

"Well then, let's go and find out," Alissa replied.

Sin'tau led Alissa into the center of the Royal Flagship. Here everything was covered in gold, silver and gleaming jewels. Sinal's chambers were a few doors down from Sin'tau's and covered with sapphire-like stones. Sin'tau knocked softly.

"Come in," Sinal said from inside. Alissa walked in and found herself in a softly lit room covered in soft blue and purple walls and carpeting. A massive bed occupied one corner near a window that took up an entire wall. Sinal was at a small desk beside the bed, putting the finishing touches on something. She looked up at Alissa and smiled. "Hello Ms. Alissa. I've been waiting for you. Even since you saved me I've wanted to say thank you."

"You're welcome. But really, it was nothing."

"I made this for you," Sinal said, holding out a pendant. It had a long silver chain that sparkled in the light, and at the end was a glittering blue stone.

"Thank you," Alissa said softly as Sinal helped her fasten the pendant around her neck. "It's beautiful, but I'm afraid I don't have anything like this to give to you."

"It's ok; you could give me a tour of your ship. I've wanted to see it for days."

"All right. But only if your father says you can go." Sinal turned to her father.

"May I go Father, please?" Her father looked over at Alissa for several long moments. He was still suspicious of her, but so far she had not tried anything, and she was already doing vast mounts of good for his people.

"Very well," he said a minute later. "But take this with you." He handed her a small device. "It's a locator beacon. If you get into trouble just activate it and I will send my men over to help you." Sinal took the device and placed it in a pocket of her dress.

Alissa sent a command to the diamond and she and Sinal were transported to Alissa's bedroom. I was only half the size of Sinal's.

"I'm afraid it isn't as impressive as yours," Alissa said.

"It's great," Sinal replied, running her hand over the sheets. She walked over to Alissa's desk and saw a photo of Alissa a few years younger. She was being held by a man and a woman. "Are these your parents?"

"Yes," Alissa replied. She took the picture and turned it away from her.

"Did you have a fight?" Sinal asked. Alissa's eyes narrowed and she sat down on a chair.

"You could say that."

_Flashback:_

"_Mom, Dad! Look what I did!" Alissa cried, hurrying over to her parents with a pad in her hands. She was only eight, but she was already in fifth grade. _

"_Honey, your mother and I are very busy right now," Alissa's father said. _

"_I know, but just look at this. I found a way to increase the processing power of your computer." She handed the pad to her father, who glanced at it and dropped it into a growing pile. _

"_We'll look at it later, but we're really very busy right now. Why don't you go and play with some of your friends for a while?" Alissa's mother said._

"_I don't have any friends. I've told you that," Alissa replied. "The other kids don't like me."_

"_Maybe that's because you're too young to be making new computer programs. You should be playing on the holodeck or at Kadeskat."_

"_But those things are boring! I LIKE doing things like this. I wish you'd led me help you with your work. I'm sure I could be a good assistant."_

"_Alissa, this is grown up work. It's too delicate for you. Maybe when you're older. For now go and play with the other kinds. If you just give them a chance I know you can become great friends. Now run along," Alissa's mother said, giving her daughter a small push."_

"_Please let me help! I want to grow up to be just like you!" Alissa pleaded. Her father turned to her. He loved his daughter very much, but sometimes she got on his nerves. _

"_All right Alissa, I'll tell you what. If you can find a crystal with these exact properties, **then** you can help us," he said, knowing that no crystal like the one he had programmed into the pad existed on Earth. Perhaps it was a bit cruel, but at least it would let him and his wife finish their work day in peace and quiet. _

_End flashback:_

"I spend a month looking for that crystal. Every time I could I'd get on a shuttle and search everyplace I thought might have the crystal my father told me to find. Then, after a month I realized that my father had sent me on a wild goose chase."

"What's a wild goose chase?" Sinal asked.

"Oh, it's an expression that means a futile task that can never be completed. Anyway, after I realized my father had lied to me, I managed to steal a shuttle and escape from Earth. I reprogrammed by warp field so they couldn't track me and set out on my own. Seven months later I encountered the Borg and I was assimilated."

"You're parents don't sound very nice."

"They were scientists. Their work came first," Alissa said sadly. Then she smiled and held up a black crystal. "But thanks to my assimilation I was able to finally find my father's crystal. When I assimilate Earth I intend to give it to him."

"What's assimilation?"

"It's how the Borg increase our numbers. What happens is that we inject nano probes into other people like I did to you and they become part of the Collective," Alissa explained.

"So you assimilated me?" Sinal asked.

"No. I modified my nano probes so they only healed you. Come on, I'll show you." Alissa led Sinal through several doors and down a corridor. They emerged into one of the Diamond's main service junctions. Drones walked along or regenerating in their alcoves. Sinal poked one in the stomach a few times with her finger.

"Hello? Mr. Drone?"

"They can't respond to you. You see, except for me and a few others, all Borg drones are basically mindless and unable to do anything without instructions from me," Alissa said.

"Why did you make them like that?"

"Because Sinal, the galaxy is an evil place. You saw the consequences of the war with the Resalians. Right now there are countless wars going on, most without any good reason for them. Millions are dying from starvation and disease. The Borg are the one race that are apart from all that. We don't suffer from disease or hunger. We don't wage pointless wars. When we assimilate others we take them from their lives of pain and suffering and they are reborn with a greater purpose."

"What purpose is that?" Sinal asked.

"To bring lasting peace to the galaxy. That's why I saved you and your father's empire. There are a few races out there who want peace as well and are willing to fight for it. With the help of your father and any other races I find who are worthy the entire galaxy will finally be perfect."

After a tour of the rest of the ship, a task which took nearly three hours, Sinal and Alissa relaxed in Alissa's bedroom.

"Ow, my feet hurt," Sinal said, lying down on Alissa's bed.

"I'm sorry; usually I just transport myself where I want to go. So, do you want to go back to your ship now?"

"I suppose. Father is probably starting to worry about me by now."

"Oh, before you go, I have something for you," Alissa said. She typed a sequence of commands into a replicator and a pendant appeared. It was identical to the one Sinal had given Alissa except that the stone was an emerald. "It's a Twin pendant. Now that we each have one, no matter how far apart we are we'll always be connected."

"Thank you," Sinal said, enveloping Alissa in a hug.

"You're welcome. Get ready, I'm going to transport you back now. I'll see you soon."

"Ok, goodbye," Sinal said as she vanished in the transporter beam. A moment after Sinal vanished the Queen's program appeared.

"So, have you made a new friend?"

"I think so. She's very nice. So, is the fleet prepared?" Alissa asked.

"Yes, just as you commanded. Ten thousand vessels, all armed with nano probe torpedoes, are crossing into Fluidic Space as we speak."

"Good. Once Fluidic Space is ours is will become our fallback position in the unlikely event that our positions in this galaxy are overrun. I have found that you should never underestimate what the galaxy can throw at you."

In Fluidic Space, hundreds of quantum singularities opened and disgorged thousands of Borg Cubes and Tactical Cubes. 8472 Bio-ships came at them in waves. Nano probe torpedoes and bio beams lashed between the fleets. Hundreds fell from both sides. But then a Multi Kinetic Neutronic Mine detonated near the largest gathering of Bio-ships, destroying over 4,000. The Borg fleet then surged forward, bringing the fight to the reeling Bio-ship fleets. 8472 structures and bio-ship farms were destroyed by the hundreds. Tens of thousands of Bio-ships attacked. The Borg fleet lost thousands of ships but kept up the attack. Soon a second wave came through the singularities. The Bio-ships brought up their planet killer formations, destroying hundreds of Cubes in flak mode shots, but Nano probe torpedoes soon put an end to them. Cloaks were useless in Fluidic space, so the Borg simply fed more vessels into the grinder. Alissa's adaptations, combined with those of the Doctor, meant that any Bio-ships that came within a kilometer of a Borg vessel died from radiation.

Eventually the 8472 fleets pulled back. The Borg began construction of defensive structures and construction yards. Once the Doctor completed his analysis of captured Bio-ships the Borg could grow their own if needed.

The leaders of Species 8472 discussed their options. The Borg's new weapons made their previous advantages void. They came to the conclusion that there was only one option left to them. One of their ships set a course for a part of the Borg galaxy far from Collective territory. There lay a planet called Earth.

**So, what did you think? Alissa has made the first alliance in Collective history. Will it keep? Will Alissa and Sinal become lasting friends? Will the Federation and Species 8472 make their own Alliance? The answers to that and more in the next exciting chapter of A New Way. Well, see ya all then, and remember, you can send me any ideas you think would be good in the story. Bye for now. The Emperor protects.**

**ENTILZA**


	10. Chapter Ten: Asylum and Gathering Shadow

**Chapter Ten: Asylum and Gathering Shadows**

Captain Picard was relaxing in his ready room, sipping a cup of Earl Grey tea. The memorial for the _Voyager_ crew had taken place a few months ago, and Picard had personally delivered the eulogy. The event was still fresh in his mind. He hadn't known Captain Janeway very well, but he had considered her a friend. As he was staring out into space his computer began beeping, indicating an incoming transmission.

"Authorization Picard 47 Alpha Tango." The screen flickered and the face of Admiral Ross appeared.

"Captain Picard, it's god to see you. You're near Earth right now aren't you?"

"Yes, the _Enterprise _is performing a survey of the Voyager Nebula." The nebula had been named in memory of Captain Janeway and her vessel. Picard could still see the ship being taken into Transwarp just as he was arriving.

"We've got a first contact situation and they're asking for you."

"Me? Where is this contact taking place?" Picard asked.

"Believe it or not, in orbit of Earth. The ship came out of a quantum singularity. They first asked for Captain Janeway, but after we told them she'd been assimilated they wanted you." Picard was a bit confused. Perhaps this race was one that Janeway had encountered in the Delta Quadrant.

"The Enterprise can be at Earth in approximately five hours Admiral."

"Good. I'll see you when you arrive," Admiral Ross replied, ending the transmission.

Five hours later the Enterprise dropped out of warp in orbit of Earth. Picard could see several vessels gathered around what looked like an organic ship. It was orange in color and was about half as large as an Intrepid class starship.

"Report," Picard said.

"Our sensors can't penetrate the ship's hull sir, but the entire ship seems to be organic. We're being hailed by Admiral Ross." Commander Data replied.

"On screen." Picard replied.

"Glad you could make it Jean-Juc. The negotiations will take place aboard the _Enterprise _in one hour." Ross said.

"Understood," Picard replied. "What do we know about this species?"

"Almost nothing. Their opening message only said they wanted to speak with Captain Janeway and then you. They said they needed our help, then cut communications."

"Then this should be very interesting."

Exactly one hour later the unknown vessel moved in to dock with the_ Enterprise_. The ship's hull seemed to shift as an airlock was formed. Once the seal was secure the lock opened and out walked…Boothby? As soon as he saw the expressions on the crew's faces he held up a hand.

"I know what you're thinking. I adopted this human form to make it easier to communicate with you. I'm an ambassador for the race you might know as Species 8472. I assume Captain Janeway shared her encounter with out Delta Quadrant training facility. My condolences by the way."

"Thank you. Now, if you would follow me," Picard said.

After the group was gathered in the_ Enterprise's_ conference room things got started.

"You said you came here because you need our help correct?" Picard asked.

"Yes. The Borg have begun invading our space again, but this time their weapons are able to destroy our ships with a single hit. We can only assume they can do this because they assimilated _Voyager_. Our scientists so far haven't been able to come up with a counter to the Borg nano probe weapons. We were hoping you could help us, or if you can't, at least allow us asylum within Federation space."

"Do you have samples of the Borg nano probes?" Riker asked.

"Right here," Boothby said, drawing a vial from one of his pockets. He held it as if it was a poisonous snake.

"I'll have this taken to Starfleet Medical right away," Riker said, getting up and leaving.

"How many ships and people would we be receiving if we did grant you asylum?" Picard asked after Riker had gone.

"We've taken heavy losses against the Borg, but they haven't reached our main colonies yet. So I'd say about 300,000 ships and 3 million civilians. Most of our race live aboard their ships so we have few real colonies. All we'd require would be a star system or two, preferably uninhabited."

"That's an impressive ratio of ships to crew," Picard pointed out.

"Our ships only require a single pilot to function. If you need something more, we could help you in creating technology to resist the Borg. The Borg may have found a way to hurt us, but our technology is still powerful."

"I will speak with Starfleet Command," Picard replied. "In the meantime, you may move your ships that are in danger of Borg attack into the Ferizon system. It's uninhabited so you shouldn't have any problems."

"Thank you Captain Picard. My ship will return here in a few hours and I'll wait until you reach your final decision."

A few minutes later the 8472 vessel disengaged from the _Enterprise _and opened a quantum singularity. Species 8472 had just been granted an extra lease on life.

Alissa sifted through the latest series of reports from the 8472 campaign. It was proceeding as expected. Over 5,300 Cubes and other vessels had been lost, but Species 8472 had begun to pull back. Already bio-armor was being integrated into several Borg vessels, including Alissa's flagship Diamond.

As she sent commands to the fleets in Fluidic Space, Alissa gently traced her fingers around her crystal pendant. It had become a habit when she was concentrating. Sinal was, to her, the best thing that had come from her alliance with Emperor Sin'tau. Sinal was curious and had a thirst for knowledge that rivaled Alissa's own. In the visits to her Diamond, Alissa had taught Sinal the histories of the Alpha Quadrant races as well as the story of her life. Sinal had taught Alissa the story of her life as a member of the royal family. It had been difficult, but she was a strong girl. Several times Sinal had asked Alissa about giving her Borg implants, but she had told her that Sin'tau would not allow it. He was still suspicious of Alissa. Hopefully after the Resalians had been conquered he would begin to trust her.

"The Sinai fleet has assembled. We are ready for the incursion into Resalian space," the Queen told Alissa as she appeared. She glanced at the pendant. "A gift?"

"Yes, Sinal gave it to me. I do hope that after this war with the Resalians is concluded Emperor Sin'tau will allow me to spend more time with her. She is very enjoyable to be around." The Diamond gave a slight shudder as it entered transwarp. "We should reach our first target world in approximately seventeen minutes, a world the Resalians conquered in the first days of the war. Sin'tau's fleet will follow us in and destroy any vessels and orbital assets we miss. The Sinai ground forces will then deploy to the surface. Our vessels will provide fire support if needed."

"A sound plan," the Queen agreed. Alissa glanced at the Queen and she could feel Alissa probe her memory files.

"You believe I will soon loose interest in you. That Sinal will become my new favorite."

"It was only an idle-" the Queen began. Alissa held up her hand.

"It is not true, and to prove it I have made a gift for you." The whine of a transporter was heard, and to the Queen's surprise a replica of her body appeared. "It has taken me this long to have the body grown and altered, but it is identical to your old body. You will now be able to freely transfer your mind between your physical body and your holomatrix." The Queen closed her eyes and her projection vanished. A moment later the clone opened her eyes and took a breath.

"Thank you," the Queen said, flexing her metallic hands and taking a few shaky steps.

"Your motor control should improve quickly. Now then, I believe I have identified the next candidate for my Commander program." A projection appeared. The man was humanoid, just over two meters tall, with blue skin and short black hair. His eyes were red with yellow pupils. He also had several tattoos decorating his face. "Commander Ger Dah, a recently assimilated member of the Bezzen race. He is an expert in fighter craft tactics and ship design. He and several of his aids were abandoned when one of my Cubes assimilated a Bezzan convoy at one of their colonies. I believe he will require little reprogramming. He felt betrayed by his people and will likely wish revenge against them. He should be ready about…now." True to Alissa's word, a drone was beamed into the Command chamber. He looked around in confusion. In addition to Borg armor he also wore a green came that came down to his knees.

"Where am I? Who are you?" He asked.

"Calm yourself Ger Dah. You are aboard the Borg command vessel. I have restored your individuality. Three weeks have passed since you were assimilated."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"Because unlike your people who left you to die at that colony, I recognize your talents. If you wish I would like to make you one of my new Commanders. You would be granted your own vessel and research faculties, as well as any equipment you required."

"Why are you giving me this chance? I was under the impression that the Borg cared only for assimilation."

"That was true, until I assumed command of the Collective. Now whenever we assimilate an individual with useful talents I give them the chance to serve the Collective as Commanders, just as I am giving you that chance. So, do you accept?"

"Yes," Ger Dah replied. "My people abandoned me to the Borg. I owe them nothing. I do however, have two conditions."

"Oh? And what are they?" Alissa asked, intrigued.

"Four of my aids were assimilated along with me. I want them released as well. Also, I have a family on my homeworld. A wife and five children."

"Your aids will be with you in a few hours. As to your family, once your vessel is completed I will allow you to travel under cloak to your homeworld and retrieve them. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes," Ger Dah replied. "Thank you."

"Good. You will now be taken to one of the Collective's shipyards. Your aids will join you there. I expect you to complete your vessel within a week and return to me. Is there anything else?"

"No mam. I will depart, and thank you again," Ger Dah said as he vanished in a Borg transporter beam.

"Are you certain this Commander program of yours is wise?" The Queen asked. "Individuals can be unpredictable at times."

"There is no need to worry. They are still bound to me as surely as any drone, incapable of moving against me. Besides, it will be my Commanders who will help lead the Collective to conquer this galaxy. Ah, our target world is in range." The Flagship Diamond exited its Transwarp conduit and emerged in the middle of one hundred Resalian ships, including three heavy command vessels. Alissa's fleet was composed of three hundred Cubes and sixty Tactical Cubes as well as her flagship.

As soon as they had exited Transwarp the Borg vessels opened fire, Chronoton torpedoes taking out the shield generators on most of the Resalian ships, leaving Borg plasma torpedoes and disruptors to savage the Resalian ships freely. Fifty vessels were crippled or destroyed in the opening volley alone. The Resalian reply was chaotic and uncoordinated. Two of their command ship had been destroyed, leaving them with limited direction. Alissa's flagship quickly disabled the remaining flagship and began boarding operations. The same happened to forty-three other Resalian vessels. The Resalians inflicted severe casualties on the Borg intruders, their large size and close combat weapons making drone shielding mostly ineffective. Still, the Borg gradually gained ground. Drones equipped with assimilation guns similar to the one mounted on Alissa's hand took down Resalians who soon joined them in fighting their former crewmates.

When the Sinai battle fleet dropped out of Transwarp thirty minutes after the Borg's attack, they found an orbit choked with drifting wreckage, most of it Resalian. The Resalians had lost forty-six vessels, with the remaining forty-three now under Borg control. The Borg had lost only five Cubes. Alissa hailed Sin'tau's flagship.

"Emperor, the Resalian fleet has been neutralized, and their planetary batteries have been silenced. You are clear to begin troop at your discretion."

"You have done well Queen Alissa. Once the planet is ours again I will transmit the coordinates of our next target."

"Understood Emperor. Until then. Alissa out."

"He still doe not trust you," the Queen said.

"That will change in time," Alissa replied. "And if it doesn't, well then, I will be forced to take steps." She smiled. As long as Sinal remained her friend she could care less what happened to Sin'tau and his people. But for now she would humor him and do as he asked.

Thousands of light years from Resalian and Sinai space, a Borg Sphere and three probes were scouting a star system near the galactic core. This region of the galaxy was largely unknown to the Borg. The Borg vessels moved into orbit around the fourth planet, the only one which showed organic life. As they entered orbit five vessels emerged from a subspace tunnel and opened fire. The ships were a mixture of organic and inorganic components. They were oval in shape and looked insectoid in appearance, with three curved spines decorating their engine sections.

Organic matter, contained within a tractor beam containment beam, impacted the Borg hulls, quickly eating away the alloys and opening decks to space. The Borg returned fire and one of the alien vessels exploded. The remaining four concentrated their fire on the Sphere, phaser weapons joining with the acid launchers. The Sphere's hull now resembled the face of a moon, pits and craters covering it. The Probes moved up and fired Chronoton torpedoes into the first ship, wrenching open the forward hull and detonating its acid magazine. The ship melted into slag, leaving only three ships. AS the Borg moved in for the kill however, another subspace tunnel opened and disgorged five more vessels, including a kilometer long vessel with four spikes at its front and as well as three at the rear. The new arrivals concentrated their fire on the Borg Probes, destroying one and badly damaging the other two. The Borg, realizing they were outmatched, engaged their Transwarp drives and left, taking time to destroy most of the wreckage of their probe with torpedoes.

After the unknown vessels were driven away from the colony, the defense fleet began collecting the little debris that remained from the unknown vessels. Their technology appeared to be on par with the defenders own. They were a threat. The ships sent word back to their commander, who ordered that a war fleet be assembled to find and eliminate the base of these new enemies. They, like so many before them, would soon know the power of the Kreedak Hive.

**How was that? So now Alissa has a new Commander and the Borg have a new enemy. Who are these Kreedak, and are they any match for the Collective. Find out in the next exciting chapter, where you will also see the birth of a new Borg vessel. Well, see ya all soon. The Emperor protects.**

**P.S. I would like to thank m6l99 for the idea of Commander Ger Dah as well as the Kreedak. If you wish to use either of them you must first ask him. That's all for now. **

**ENTILZA**


	11. Chapter Eleven: A Dark Message

**Chapter Eleven: A Dark Message**

**Note: From now on, … will represent a scene change. Now on to the story.**

**Thirty Years in the future:**

A Borg Tactical Cube exploded under a rain of fire from the advancing Kreedak fleet. More Borg vessels move forward, this time joined by defense batteries from the Unicomplex as the Kreedak entered range. The space for light years around was littered with debris from Borg and Kreedak ships. It had been six months since the Kreedak had begun their final offensive against the Borg. The Alpha Quadrant Alliance had already fallen, as had the Dominion. The Borg Collective was the last obstacle standing in the way of the Kreedak's dream of galactic Domination.

On board the Collective's flagship, the Demon's Tooth class battle cruiser _Bastion_, Queen Sinal directed the defense of the Borg's last remaining stronghold.

"Defense position 13 has been overrun," Commander Ger Dah, one of the last Borg Commanders, reported. "Reserve fleet 237 moving to retake."

"Status on the rift?" Sinal demanded. She sagged in her command throne as the Kreedak poison once again attacked her brain. Her Nano Probes had held it off for weeks, but the virus from a Kreedak assassin's blade was steadily winning out. All Sinal's efforts to find a cure had failed. She knew she was dying, but she was determined not to pass on until her project, the last hope for the Collective and ultimately the galaxy, succeeded.

"The Tachyon matrix is still charging. Another two minutes," Commander Frell, a former Mintal Admiral replied. "The main Disruptor weapon is recharged."

"Target the Kreedak battleship bearing 250 by 137," Sinal ordered. The _Bastion_ shuddered as its main weapon, a disruptor beam capable of blowing apart any planetary installation, lanced out and cored through a Kreedak battleship that was angling for a volley at the Unicomplex. The vessel exploded, the shockwave destroying a dozen flanking Kreedak cruisers and destroyers. The line faltered for a moment, then reformed as the hive mind of the Kreedak reasserted its control. Dozens of Borg vessels fell as they fought to delay the Kreedak for just a moment longer.

"My Queen, the rift is ready. Moving to entry point," Captain Corten, Sinal's second, called out. The _Bastion_ quickly moved away from the fighting, heading to the forming temporal rift. The Kreedak, seeing what the Borg were doing, redoubled their attack. Hundreds of Cubes and Spheres exploded as the Kreedak brought their full might to bear. Reserve vessels emerged from their subspace tunnels and joined the battle. The Borg's defenses were being overrun.

"Move us faster!" Sinal ordered, fear creeping up her spine. If she failed now everything was over. She cried out as the Kreedak poison attacked her again

"We are already at full speed," Corten replied. Sinal angled the view screen and saw the Kreedak ships bearing down on them. Then suddenly Commander Ger Dah's Carrier Cube moved into the path of the Kreedak fleet.

"Go Queen Sinal. My vessel will delay them. Get into the rift," Ger Dah said as his vessel as savaged by Kreedak batteries.

"Thank you Ger Dah, I won't forget you," Sinal replied before Ger Dah's image vanished as his ship exploded. The rift grew lager in the view screen. The _Bastion _reoriented its long diamond shape to fit through the rift. Long range Kreedak guns pounded Sinal's ship. The shields failed and the hull was perforated by acid and torpedoes. Then it was through. Sinal's last image of the Unicomplex was of it exploding under the guns of ten thousand Kreedak ships. Then everything went black.

…

**Present Day:**

Alissa and Sinal were on the bridge of Alissa's flagship, observing the Borg defense grid for the Senrti system being brought online. With the war against the Resalians progressing well, and the main invasion about to begin, the main potion of the Sinai fleet would be far away, and Alissa was making sure that the border worlds remained safe.

"In just a few months Sinal, the Resalians will be destroyed and your father's empire will be safe."

"Yes," Sinal replied. "I hope that after he war Father will let me go with you. My older sister is the Crown Princess and will inherit the throne when my Mother dies. All I would ever be is another face in the Royal Court."

"If your father agrees, you could become one of my Commanders," Alissa said. "Then we could-" suddenly the ship went to alert status. Alissa focused and determined the cause. Long range sensors had detected subspace tunnels approaching, the same tunnels the Borg had encountered at the alien colony. Alissa had adapted the Borg shields to be partially effective against the enemy's acid weapons, but from the number of tunnels, the enemy far outnumbered the six Cubes and twenty Spheres the Borg had at the colony. Alissa sent out a call for all Borg vessels in the area, but the closest fleet was an hour away a transwarp. "We have an enemy fleet approaching Sinal."

"We can't abandon the colony! There the thirteen million people down there."

"I know. All vessels are moving into a defensive formation." In space the Borg fleet closed into a sphere formation with Alissa's Diamond at the center. The few defense station that could be brought online readied their batteries.

Seven minutes later the alien fleet merged into real space. Fifty small ships and ten destroyers surrounded three 4 kilometer long battleships.

Both fleets opened fire at the same time. Chronoton torpedoes and Borg disruptor beams lashed out at the enemy fleet, which responded with acid projectiles, torpedoes and phasers. Vessels from both sides crumpled and exploded. Alissa's flagship targeted one of the alien flagships, destroying its shield generators and then targeting its reactor. The flagship's own weapons tore at the Diamond's shields. As the weapons, continued firing all the alien vessels launched boarding pods. Mosts were aimed at Alissa's flagship.

"Weapons target and destroy those pods," Alissa ordered, but the pods were extremely maneuverable and avoided most of the defensive fire. When the pods made contact with Borg shields, the first wave was destroyed, but the rest adjusted their shields and passed through. Out of the pods massive nine foot insectoid warriors emerged and began tearing through Borg drones. They moved like lightning and disruptor fire merely seared their armored shells. Force fields trapped some for a time, until they ripped their way through the walls. Transporters look time to lock on, but when they did the insect warriors was beamed into space. Still, the warriors were steadily overrunning the Borg defenders.

"I think the battle is turning against us," Sinal said.

"I know," Alissa replied. She was considering ordering a retreat when the guns of the now dying enemy flagship scored a lucky hit and disabled the main Transwarp drive. "And now we're stuck here. Sinal, beam over to one of the Spheres and get out of here. I'll join you once the Transwarp drive for my ship regenerates."

"No, I'm staying with you," Sinal replied.

"Your father would never forgive me if something happened to you, now-" suddenly the Diamond's sensors picked up a wormhole forming. It flashed into existence, its aperture destroying three alien vessels. From the wormhole emerged a Borg vessel, but like none Alissa had ever seen before. The vessel was shaped like two narrow pyramids joined at the base. Scans indicated the ship was the height of four Cubes, as wide as 2 and was powered by an Omega molecule reactor. As Alissa let out a breath of disbelief, the vessel fired a massive disruptor beam which blew apart one of the enemy flagships. Its secondary weapons began picking off the smaller vessels, and on board the other Borg vessels small anti-gravity propelled robots appeared and fired anti-matter bullets into the insect warriors, blowing them to pieces.

"I've never seen a Borg ship like that before," Sinal said.

"Neither have I," Alissa replied. She shock off her confusion and ordered her fleet to join the battle. Between her fleet and the unknown vessel the enemy was completely destroyed. Several attempted to escape but were shot down before they could enter their subspace tunnels. The unknown vessels moved into high orbit and began regenerating. When she took the time to look Alissa could see the vessel had taken heavy damage. Its hull was covered in acid craters and there were dozens of torpedo impacts as well. Alissa sent a hail which was soon answered.

"Greetings," a voice said. "I regret we cannot see each other, but my vessel's communication system is damaged. Please, come to my vessel. I must speak with you."

"What are you going to do?" Sinal asked.

"That vessel is powered by an Omega Particle reactor. If nothing else, I have to find out where it came from."

"Please, let me come with you," Sinal pleaded. She gave Alissa the watery eyed stare that most of the time worked on her father.

"Oh all right," Alissa said. "But stay close to me, and don't touch anything without asking me." Sinal nodded, and a moment later both vanished in a transporter beam.

…

Sinal and Alissa found themselves in a corpse chocked passageway. They had been unable to beam directly to the command deck but gotten within a hundred meters.

"What happened here?" Sinal asked.

"A battle," Alissa replied. The same insect soldiers from before littered the floor, along with drones which appeared to be wearing exo suits of some kind. After nearly ten minute of picking their way through debris, bodies and two blocked access doors Alissa and Sinal made it to the vessel's control chamber near the Central Plexus. Three more insect warriors lay dead near the doors, still locked together with one of the exo suit wearing drones. Alissa extended her tubules and accessed the door controls. The doors swished open, revealing a half destroyed bridge. The drones in the room were all dead. All but one, who was face down on the floor, a support beam across its back. Alissa hurried over. She used a nearby length of piping and a piece of the wall to lift the beam off the drone's back. "Sinal, pull her out."

Sinal grabbed one of the drone's arms and pulled, but she was only a child, and the done was heavy.

"I can't," Sinal said. Alissa, seeing that Sinal was too small to move the drone, managed to wedge the pipe into the floor. It wouldn't hold for long, so Alissa grabbed the drone and pulled with all her Borg enhanced strength. The Drone budged, then slid out as the support beam crashed back down.

Once Alissa turned the drone over it was revealed to be a woman, a Sinai. She had long auburn hair and a scar down one cheek. She was breathing shallowly, but Alissa saw her nano probes were repairing her. A few moments later her eyes opened and she groaned.

"Are you all right?" Alissa asked. The woman turned her head and glanced at Alissa. As she did her eyes seemed to light up. She sat up and enveloped Alissa in a crushing embrace.

"Alissa, you're alive! That means I made it! I'm so happy to see you again!"

"Who are you?" Alissa managed to gasp out. The drone released her.

"I'm not surprised you don't recognize me, considering I'm from thirty years in the future."

"Thirty years?" Alissa asked.

"It's me, Sinal." Alissa froze for a moment.

"Sinal?"

"Yes. Listen to me Alissa. I don't have much time left, but you need to know something."

"Not much time? What are you talking about? Your nano probes are repairing the damage to you body right now."

"Yes, but I am also infected with a Kreedak poison. Every time my nano probes attack it a few cells adapt and reproduce. At best, I have a few hours. Nevertheless, listen, in five days the Borg Janeway freed during the Unimatrix Zero incident will travel to Earth. They will help them develop a protective measure against your 8472 nano probes."

"Then we must find them and stop them!" Alissa said.

"No! They will be important. You see, the alien race that just attacked you, the Kreedak, will prove the most formidable enemy the Borg have ever faced. You see, in my future, you were killed in that last battle. A torpedo struck the Command deck and you were vaporized. With you gone, the old Queen resumed control of the Collective. Then the rouge Borg made their way to Earth and told the Federation about the Kreedak. You see, they managed to capture a Kreedak scout ship and learned that the Kreedak had existed for tens of thousands of years in the Galactic Core, steadily conquering everything. Then they decided to take on the rest of the galaxy."

"And the Federation was able to stop them?" Alissa asked.

"They were able to stop the Kreedak's scout fleet, but it was costly. The attack managed to persuade the Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians and Species 8472 to join Starfleet and the Rouge Borg in an alliance. The Dominion was also integrated into the Alliance a few weeks later after the Alliance helped them destroy a Kreedak fleet. United, they used a small Transwarp Hub the Rouge Borg constructed and came to the Unicomlex to ask the Borg to join the Alliance."

"But we declined?" Alissa asked. Sinal nodded.

"The Queen was still angry at you death and launched an attack on the Alliance. The ensuing war ultimately resulted in the destruction of the Alliance's fleets and a weakening of the Collective. The Kreedak chose that time to strike. They had used the time during the Borg/Alliance War to double the size of their fleet, and with the Collective weakened they were able conquer huge swaths of the galaxy, draining entire worlds to fuel their war machine. Races like the Voth were able to resist for a time, but eventually they were overwhelmed. The Kreedak used information on our Transwarp Hubs to create their own versions, which allow them to strike deep into the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants. The Federation Alliance and the Dominion both fell after years of hard fighting. Then they turned their attention to the Collective. Hundreds of systems were overrun within a matter of months. We deployed our newest weapon, the Demon's Tooth class destroyer, of which my vessel is the last, but we were too late. We resisted for decades, but untimely we could not win. Before the last Unicomplex was overrun, I used a supply of Tempium Ore the Collective had been lucky enough to find to open a temporal conduit to this time."

"What do you want me to do?" Alissa asked, horrified at the future Sinal had described.

"If the Collective fights alongside the Alliance, you will have a chance against the Kreedak." Sinal suddenly broke off and clutched her head.

"Are you all right?" The younger Sinal asked her future self.

"Yes, for the moment. The Kreedak poison is accelerating. Please, listen closely. Take a fleet to Earth in eighteen days and help the Federation destroy the Kreedak scout fleet. Then join forces with the Alliance. Together you can launch a preemptive strike against the Kreedak. You can also use my vessel to create more Demon's Tooth class ships. They will serve you well." Suddenly Sinal began convulsing. "It seems my time is up," she said calmly.

"No! We just met. I have so many questions." Alissa said. Sinal smiled.

"It will be all right. Remember, if you didn't die here then the future has already been changed. Someday you'll see me again." She turned to her younger self. "Be brave Sinal. In the days ahead you will become very important. Just remember one thing: No matter how dark things may become, a way always exists back to the light." Sinal's implants began shutting down, and her organic eye closed forever. Sinal and Alissa cried for a long time. Finally Alissa got back to her feet.

"Come on Sinal. She wouldn't want us to cry. She would want us to do as he said and destroy the Kreedak. Now come on. Let's get this vessel to a shipyard and start analyzing it. The Kreedak won't wait." Seeing Sinal slowly getting up, Alissa put a hand on her shoulder. "Remember, if we can change the future, we'll see her again. In you." Sinal smiled.

"Thank you Alissa. You're right, let's get moving. If what my future self said is true then my people are in danger too."

…

Three days after heir encounter with Future Sinal, the Demon's Tooth vessel was fully operational. Its data banks had yielded the Collective a number of sources of the rare ore needed to synthesize Omega, as well as data on how to stabilize it. Within weeks more Demon's Tooth vessels would enter service, and the greatest war in the Collective's history would begin.

**What did you think? Well now you know what would have happened, but what will happen now? Will Alissa be able to stop the Kreedak and ally with the Federation? Will Species 8472 even allow it? And what of Commander Ger Dah and his new vessel? Find out in the next exciting chapter. Well, see ya then, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	12. Chapter Twelve: Forging Ahead

**Chapter Twelve: Forging Ahead**

Alissa looked out proudly at her assembled armada. The time had come. The Kreedak assault on Earth would begin very soon. Alissa's fleet was gathered around one of the Borg Transwarp Hubs. The fleet's numbers stood at 190 Cubes, 60 Tactical Cubes, 300 Spheres, 3 Demon's Tooth vessels and Alissa's Diamond. All ships had bio armored hulls and several experimental bio beam weapons. Alissa's Diamond and the Demon's Tooth vessels also had Omega reactors, enabling their shields to run at nearly 700 of normal.

Sinal was on board the Diamond with Alissa. Both watched as the Transwarp aperture was opened.

"Are you sure you want to come Sinal?" Alissa asked.

"Yes. I want to meet these humans," Sinal replied.

"Just be ready for some action." As the fleet entered the aperture, Alissa hoped that the future Sinal had been right.

…

The orbit of Earth was crowded today. With the arrival of Species 8472, the Romulans, Klingons and Cardassians had all made requests to meet their ambassador and discuss possibly technological exchanges. Starfleet had moved two entire fleets into the Sol system to maintain order and begin refitting with the limited technology 8472 had provided Starfleet in exchange for three uninhabited star systems.

Another recent event had also shaken things up. A Borg Sphere had appeared. It was under the command of a Klingon General named Korak. They had warned the Federation on a new enemy that had recently been popping up all over the Delta Quadrant. They were called the Kreedak, and they were an aggressive, expansionist empire. Korak had asked for a gathering of all Alpha Quadrant powers to discuss an alliance. That was the second reason for the conference.

Captain Picard was in his ready room, enjoying the first break he'd been able to get in nearly ten hours. He looked out the window at the clusters of ships, all getting as close to the bio ship as they could despite the fact that their sensors couldn't penetrate its hull.

"Riker to Picard." Picard slowly lowered his cup of Earl Gray and sighed.

"Picard here."

"The Klingon and Cardassian delegations say they're ready to talk."

"I'm on my way," Picard replied. The Klingons and Cardassians had been going back and forth all day. This was the third time they were attempting to talk.

…

As soon as the door to the conference room opened Picard ducked as a cup came flying out, narrowly missing his head.

"You pig!" A Cardassian called out.

"P'tah!" Came the Klingon Ambassador's reply. Picard, already very tired and in no mood for more arguing, entered the room, picked up the teapot and threw it against the wall, shattering it. At once the shouting stopped and all eyes focused on Captain Picard.

"Now," he began, speaking very calmly, as though he had never been angry. "I understand that you are all frustrated, but now is not the time for insults. Species 8472 are guests of the Federation, and as such they are entitled to enough time to rebuild their civilization. In time, all of you will be able to share in-"

"Why should we stand by while the Federation takes advantage of the most advanced technology anyone here has ever see!" The Cardassian Gul asked.

"We fought beside with the Federation in the Dominion War! WE should get the first samples of technology!" The Klingon ambassador replied. Picard was about to reply when…

"Riker to Picard."

"Yes Number One," Picard replied, this time unable to prevent irritation from seeping into his voice.

"Sorry to bother you, but sensors are picking up some strange subspace readings. I think you should get up here."

Picard was, at the same time, relieved to have an excuse to leave and angry that the two parties would immediately resume their verbal sparring.

…

"I hope you have something interesting Will," Picard said as the turbolift doors opened.

"We do. It looks like there are hundreds of Subspace tunnels moving toward us. Their speed's off the charts. They should reach Earth in three minutes." Picard's alert meter immediately went up. It had to be the Kreedak. Korak's vessel had provided Starfleet with sensor information on the Kreedak Subspace Tunneling Drive.

"Order all ships to go to red alert and signal the Klingon and Cardassian vessels to form up around us."

Tense minutes went by as the Subspace tunnels neared. Then suddenly they opened in coronas of blue light. From the vortexes emerged over 1,500 ships. They were organic looking, with insectoid spines sprouting from various places. Their colors were varying shades of green and brown. The ships immediately began forming up into attack wings.

"Report," Picard demanded.

"Sensors are detecting over 1,500 vessels captain. 1,200 of them are the size of an Intrepid; the others range from one to four kilometers long. We're being hailed," Lieutenant Jeniko reported.

"On screen." The screen changed to show the image of a wasp-like alien. He had four arms, the top two of which appeared to be some kind of organic weapons. His shell was red and blue, with two black striped running down his shoulders.

"To all ships gathered here. I am Commander Keeerr Zrrc, of the 456th Kreedak Swarm Fleet. You territory has been selected as suitable for Kreedak conquest. However, we offer you a choice. You may join with us and serve us as thralls. If you agree, your lives and your worlds will be spared."

"Open a channel," Picard ordered. "Kreedak Commander, I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship _Enterprise_. Your presence here is a violation of Federation Space. Leave now, or we will respond with all necessary force." The Kreedak Commander made a curious buzzing noise, and Picard realized he was laughing.

"You fool. You are outnumbered. You cannot stop us. Make your choice now: Serve us, or die." Picard motioned and the transmission was cut.

"Thoughts?"

"I say we fight," Commander Riker replied. "We know from General Korak that Kreedak ships are one on one weaker than ours. We have nearly 700 ships if you include the Klingons, Romulans and Cardassians."

"I say fight," Work added. Geordie nodded. Picard smiled.

"All right. Instruct all ships to open fire. Have Starbase One engage any Kreedak ships that move toward Earth. Engage!"

The combined defense fleet surged forward, unleashing a storm of torpedoes and phaser fire. Dozens of Kreedak ships were destroyed, but many more surged forward, vessels near the rear of the Kreedak fleet launching waves of fighter craft. Waves of acidic projectiles slammed into shields and bit into hulls. Crewmen screamed as they were dissolved. Fighters swarmed the smaller ships, using numbers to take them down. Starbase One destroyed a dozen Kreedak ships moving toward Earth, but more launched fast moving pods toward the surface, the majority of which avoiding the defensive fire.

The _Enterprise_ skimmed between two Kreedak cruisers, savaging them with phasers, while three Klingon Birds of Prey fired torpedoes. One of the vessels exploded, the other began drifting. Suddenly a barrage of bio acid torpedoes tore one of the Klingon ships to shreds and sent the other two spinning away. The Kreedak had begun moving up their big ships now that the defense fleet was occupied.

…

The Enterprise shook as a Kreedak phaser tore at its shields.

"Shields at 74 percent," Work reported. Another shudder. "63 percent."

"Status on the fleet?" Picard asked.

"Sixty-seven vessels have been destroyed, more report heavy damage. The Cardassian flagship has been destroyed. Starbase One reports it is losing shields."

"Send signal Omega," Picard ordered. Signal Omega was a signal that the defense fleet was being overrun and desperately needed assistance, assistance that was quick in coming. A dozen Quantum Singularities opened and disgorged fifty 8472 bio ships. The ambassador who appeared as Boothby had told Picard that if he really needed them, his people would help.

The bio ships tore into the Kreedak fleet, heir bio beams cutting through shields and hulls. Hundreds of Kreedak ships fell. Then the entire Kreedak armada concentrated on the bio ships. Thousands of weapons cut into bio armor, overwhelming it. First one, then two ships were destroyed. Soon the 8472 vessels withdrew, having done all they could.

…

Picard clutched his chair as the _Enterprise _was rocked again. This time a console exploded, sending Ensign MrFare tumbling across the deck, his uniform ablaze.

"Shields down to 30 percent!" Worf reported. "We should retreat."

"No, right now the _Enterprise_ is the only thing holding the defense line together," Picard replied. He looked out the view screen. Nearly half the defense fleet was burning. The Kreedak fleet had lost even more, but most of their large ships were still intact. Already reports of troops attacking cities across Earth were coming in. The invaders were nine foot tall insectoid warriors, armed with acid weapons and only vulnerable to high level phaser fire.

"Captain, sensors are picking up Borg Transwarp conduits. Lots of them,' Riker suddenly called out. Picard hung his head. He watched as hundreds of Borg vessels appeared in flashes of green light and…began attacking the Kreedak! He watched as three massive Borg vessel shaped like elongated diamonds fired massive disruptor beams into three of the largest Kreedak vessels, vaporizing them. Two dozen Cubes opened hatches on their sides and launched thousands of fighters. The Borg and Kreedak began tearing into each other.

…

Alissa and Sinal watched as the Kreedak turned their attention from the crippled defense fleet and began attacking them.

"All third element vessels, concentrate on the Kreedak forward elements. Main disruptors, continue targeting Kreedak flagships as fast as recharge permits. Fighters, engage Kreedak fighter craft. All other vessels, engage the enemy!" Alissa ordered. She watched with pride as her armada clashed with the already weakened Kreedak. Her Demon's Tooth vessels each destroyed a flagship every fifty seconds. Borg disruptors, torpedoes and bio beams savaged Kreedak cruisers and destroyers. Borg vessels fell as well, but loses were irrelevant. Only victory mattered. Alissa's Diamond joined the forward wave, destroying an entire wing of Kreedak frigates.

…

"The enemy ships are retreating," Commander Ger Dah reported ten minutes after the battle began. His Carrier Cubes had provided a major advantage in the battle. His Dagger interceptors have performed admirably. Now the next step began. Legions of Borg Drones, all armed with anti-matter rifles, transported down to the surface and, while they incurred nearly eighty percent losses, annialated the Kreedak army.

"Excellent. Good work Commander. My compliments on your new vessels. Begin collecting debris from Kreedak vessels. I want a complete analysis of their technology in ten hours."

"As you wish," Ger Dah replied.

"Hail the Enterprise," Alissa ordered.

…

"Sir, we are being hailed by the Borg Diamond," Worf reported.

"On screen," replied a confused Picard. First the Borg had come out of nowhere and saved Earth, and now they wanted to talk? Then the view screen activated and displayed an image of a human girl. She had long brown hair, deep blue eyes and was clad in Borg armor.

"Captain Picard. I am Alissa, leader of the Borg Collective. We need to talk."

**So how was that? So Alissa and Picard are going to meet. What will happen? What will the end result be? Will an Alliance against the Kreedak form, or will there be only war? Find out in the next exciting chapter of A New Way. Well, see ya all then, and don't forget to review! The Emperor protects.**

**ENTILZA**


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Fractures

**Chapter Thirteen: Fractures**

Picard and Riker waited in the transporter room along with the Klingon and Romulans ambassadors. Alissa has said she would beam over in a few minutes. Suddenly the transporters whined and four figures appeared. They resolved into two adults, the Borg Queen and a man Picard had never seen before. He had blue skim and red and yellow eyes. The other two figures were children, one human, and other a feline alien.

"Greetings Captain Picard," the human girl spoke. "Hello ambassadors. I am Alissa. This is Commander Ger Dah, Commander Alana, and Sinal," she said, pointing to Ger Dah, the Queen and Sinal. "Now, may we proceed to the conference room?"

"Very well, follow me," Picard replied. As he showed them to the conference room he felt chills go up his spine. Having the Queen so close to him brought up bad memories.

When the group entered the conference room the Cardassian and 8472 ambassadors were already there. 'Boothby' glared at the Borg delegation in a barely contained rage.

Alissa spoke first. "I know that you all must be very confused about why we are here. The Kreedak have recently begun attacks on the Delta Quadrant. We managed to capture and assimilate one of their vessels, and from it we learned of the attack on Earth and decided to aid you."

"Why would YOU want to help anyone?" Boothby asked.

"Because it is beneficial to all of us if the Kreedak are defeated. The Collective is already engaging Kreedak forces, but they have a very large space fleet. If the Alpha Quadrant were to fall, the Kreedak could concentrate their entire force on the Delta Quadrant."

"So you are saying you want us to help you fight your battles?" Asked the Romulan ambassador.

"In a way. We would welcome your assistance and would be willing to share technology with any race who joins the war effort. Even if you don't choose to join we will still intercept any Kreedak fleet that attacks the Alpha Quadrant."

"Why are you so interested in helping us?" Picard asked.

"A promise," Alissa replied. "I promise I made to a dying friend. Now, the Borg are willing to assist you in resisting the Kreedak. Are you willing to cooperate? If it helps, the Borg have already made their first ally."

"My people," Sinal spoke up. She was dressed in the outfit of a Sinai princess. "Queen Alissa saved my people from destruction at the hands of a brutal race known as the Resalians. As such, my father, Emperor Sin'tau, has pledged the full support of the Sinai to the Borg. In return our fleet is being upgraded with Borg weapons, defenses and propulsion technology, but we are still a small empire compared to the Collective. Most of our ships are still engaged in the Resalian War. Your help could mean the end of one of the greatest threats this galaxy has ever seen. Your help would be invaluable."

"I already have ships searching the Delta Quadrant for possible allies. The support of the Alpha Quadrant would mean dozens of worlds, possibly hundreds, would be spared from Kreedak conquest. Their warriors are formidable, but the Collective is developing drones and weapons with which to fight them. Their ships are numerous but individually weak. The Collective and Sinai will fight them alone if we have to. So, is anyone here interested?" Alissa asked.

"What kind of technology would you share with us?" The Romulan ambassador asked.

"Enhanced weapons, more powerful shields and Transwarp technology," Alissa replied. She had known that the Romulans would be interested in technology over anything else.

"I will bring your proposal to the Romulan senate."

"Thank you," Alissa said and turned to the Klingon ambassador. "Ambassador, your people who were on Earth engaged Kreedak warriors did they not?"

"Yes," the Klingon ambassador replied. "They were formidable."

"I can offer you as much battle as you wish, as well as provide you with weapons to even the fight. It will be glorious." Alissa saw the Klingon's eyes brighten at the thought of combat.

"I will speak with the High Council."

"Very well. What about the rest of you?" Alissa asked the Federation, Cardassian and 8472 ambassadors.

"We'll have nothing to do with you," Boothby said. "You're lucky you're not already dead."

"The Cardassian Union would never ally with a race such as the Borg."

"The Federation does not initiate wars. We will defend ourselves if the Kreedak attack, but until then I request that you leave Federation space," Picard said to Alissa. She looked disappointed.

"As you wish. I will leave a communication device with the Klingon and Romulan ambassadors. If any of you change your minds you may use them to contact me." Alissa and her companions got to their feet and stood together. "Goodbye." The group vanished in a Borg transporter beam, and as soon as they were gone the bickering began.

"You would ally yourselves with the Borg!" The Cardassian ambassador asked the Klingon delegation.

"You would refuse the chance for glorious battle," the Klingon replied.

"The Borg are offering advanced technology and all we have to do is destroy a race that is already bent on our subjugation," the Romulan ambassador added.

"And what makes you think that the Borg won't go right for your throats as soon as the war's over?" 'Boothby' asked.

"They likely will, but with the technology they are offering we stand a better chance of repelling them."

As the verbal debates went back and forth Picard leaned back in his chair and tried to control his coming migraine.

…

Alissa's Diamond dropped out of Transwarp near the Starfleet base Deep Space Nine. Colonel Kira, who was on duty in Ops, nearly had a heart attack. Then Alissa hailed.

"Colonel Kira, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Who are you?" Kira asked. She was afraid, no question, but she was still the Commander of Deep Space Nine and refused to let her fear show.

"My name is Alissa. I am the leader of the Borg Collective. I need you to help me talk to an old friend of yours."

"You need MY help?"

"Yes. My meeting with Starfleet was not a productive as I'd hoped. Would you be willing to meet with me, say for lunch?"

Kira was, needless to say, quite confused. She had heard that the Borg had helped destroy an alien fleet at Earth, but other than that she knew nothing. And now a girl claiming to be the Borg leader was inviting her to lunch!

"Uh, sure. Meet me on the promenade in an hour."

"I'll be there," Alissa replied, smiling as only a twelve year old could.

As Alissa's image vanished, Kira went into her office and fell into her seat.

"This day just keeps getting better and better."

**How was that? Sorry if it was a bit short. So the Romulans and the Klingons may support Alissa. Will they decide to aid her? Will the Kreedak launch another attack? And who is this old friend of Kira's that Alissa wants to meet? Find out in the next exciting chapter of A New Way. See ya all then, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Trust

**Chapter Fourteen: Trust**

Alissa beamed over to DS9 half an hour before her lunch with Colonel Kira. She wanted to look around. Before she had stolen the shuttle she had never left Earth. She wandered the Promenade visiting the shops. Several people stared at her armor, but didn't realize she was Borg.

Finally the time rolled around. Alissa walked into Quark's and spotted Kira at one of the back tables.

"Colonel Kira?"

"Alissa, have a seat," Kira replied. "I have to say I'm surprised to be sitting across a table from a Borg drone."

"I know. I'm also sure you think I'm pretty young to be the Borg leader. I plan to age myself before the next phase of my mission."

"And what exactly is your mission?"

"To find allies against an enemy I recently encountered in the Delta Quadrant. Have you heard of the attack on Earth?"

"Yes," Kira replied. "I understand that your fleet helped defeat them."

"Correct, but I think that was only a scout fleet. The main force is likely still gathering. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but the only reason I came to Earth was because of a message from the future."

"The future?"

"Yes. In that future the Borg had gone to war with the Alpha Quadrant Alliance. New technology resulted in a costly victory for the Borg, and the Kreedak used that opportunity to attack the entire galaxy. The Alpha Quadrant fell quickly. The Delta and Gamma Quadrants took decades, but were taken as well. One of my commanders brought a vessel to this time and warned me of the Kreedak. That is why I am seeking allies. You could say I'm forming my own Federation."

"I see," Kira replied, confused. "But what does any of this have to do with me."

"I know you're friends with Odo, a Founder. I want you to convince him to help me begin talks with the Dominion." Kira's eyes widened.

"You want Odo to talk to the Founders for you?"

"No, I want him to help me convince them to listen to me. If he refuses I will simply leave and try on my own, but the longer it takes me to find the Founders the stronger the Kreedak will grow."

"I suppose you can talk to him. Come on." Kira led Alissa to Odo's office where he was reviewing a station security report.

"Hello Nerys. Is there something I can do for you?" Odo asked. Then he noticed Alissa. "Hello, who are you?"

"My name is Alissa, and I need your help."

"What can I help you with?"

"Convincing the Founders to listen to my proposal."

Seeing the surprised look on Odo's face, Kira explained. "Believe it or not Odo, Alissa is the leader of the Borg. She's the owner of that big ship out there," Kira was referring to Alissa's Diamond, which had caused a stir of panic before it had cloaked. "She wants to form an alliance between the Borg and the Dominion."

"I…see, and she wants me to speak to the Founders on her behalf?"

"Yes. I would be grateful, since the Borg do not presently know the location of the Founders homeworld. I assure you I have no interest in assimilating the Dominion. If that was my goal, I wouldn't be here. So, will you help me?"

"I'll speak to Commander Sisko. He was on Earth when the Kreedak struck."

"Very well. I'll return to my ship. Contact me when you've made you decision," Alissa replied before beaming out.

After Alissa was gone, Odo turned to Kira. "What do you think? Is she serious?"

"I think so. I know when people are lying. She was hiding something, but I think she's serious about establishing an alliance."

"Then if Commander Sisko agrees, I'll go with her."

…

"How did your meeting go?" Sinal asked Alissa.

"Well enough I suppose. I'll probably get an answer in a few hours. Until then, I'll be in my maturation chamber."

"What's that?"

"A machine which will make me older. I don't think the Dominion leaders would take a twelve year old girl seriously. Don't worry, I'll still be me."

"Can I do it too?" Sinal asked.

"Not unless your father says you can. After the Resalians are destroyed I'll talk to your father with you ok?"

"Ok! I'll see you when you're done," Sinal said as she watched Alissa enter a chamber that rapidly filled with fluid and green light. "Come out soon."

…

Twelve hours after Alissa had left, Odo got a reply from Commander Sisko. He gave Odo permission to go with Alissa but told him to watch his back. Since the _Defiant_ was undergoing maintenance, Odo elected to travel on a runabout that would dock with Alissa's ship. Everything was set. Now all Odo had to do was tell Alissa.

…

Alissa emerged from her maturation chamber in a rush of steam. It had used far more power than a standard chamber, but Alissa now looked eighteen years old. Her brown hair fell down her back nearly to her feet. She would have to cut it. Her armor had modified itself to accommodate her larger body. She flexed her limbs and cracked her back. Sinal had been waiting for her.

"You look amazing!"

"Thank you Sinal. Now, I believe Odo just said he will come with us. His runabout is leaving the station now." Odo's face came up on the viewer.

"Ready for docking."

"Acknowledged, transmitting docking coordinates now. I'm glad you decided to come Constable."

"Thank you. I'll transmit the course once we've cleared the wormhole."

"Very well. Stand by." The runabout docked to the side of Alissa's Diamond, which was still cloaked. The two vessels approached the wormhole which opened larger than normal to accommodate the Diamond. Soon the Dominion and the Borg would meet. Alissa hoped they would listen to her and accept her offer of an alliance. Only time would tell.

**How was that? So Alissa and Odo are about to meet with the Founders, but the meeting won't go as expected. And the Kreedak will soon have a HUGE surprise for the Borg. What will it be? Keep reading and find out. In the next chapter the Borg and the Dominion will meet. What will happen? Find out in the next exciting chapter of A New Way. See ya all then, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	15. Chapter Fifteen: In Debt

**Chapter Fifteen: In Debt**

Alissa's Diamond was approaching the Dominion homeworld. Odo was on the command deck along with Alissa and Sinal.

"When we arrive we'll beam down to an island and wait to be contacted."

"How many of your people are on the planet?" Sinal asked. Odo was beginning to get annoyed by Sinal's questions. She had hardly closed her mouth since Odo had come aboard.

"Several billion." Off to the side Alissa suddenly stiffened. "Is something wrong?"

"Sensors are detecting weapons fire. Distance, twenty light years. Weapon signatures match the Kreedak." Odo started looking worried. "Increasing speed to maximum. Time of arrival three minutes."

…

A squadron of Jem'hadar attack ships strafed a Kreedak heavy cruiser, loosing five of their number to acid and phaser fire. The space above the Founders homeworld was littered with the debris of thousands of ships. The Dominion had been under attack by the Kreedak for over a month, and in every engagement both sides had suffered massive losses. Dominion Poleron weapons were able to penetrate Kreedak shields easily, but the Kreedak phasers could do the same to Dominion shielding. The Founders had ordered a massive increase in both ship and troop production. Kreedak ground troops were extraordinarily resilient. It took five to eight Jem'hadar to defeat one in hand to hand combat.

"Order the third wing to concentrate their fire on the enemy squadron bearing 173 mark 5," Keevan, the Vorta in charge of planetary defense ordered. He had been given the honor of defending his gods, and he would not fail them. Arrayed against him were close to 7,000 enemy vessels, including a single massive vessel over five kilometers long. It was shaped partially like a Federation starbase laid on its side. Thus far it had remained in the rear of the fleet. "Time until the arrival of the fifth fleet?"

"Seven minutes Vorta," the Jem'hadar first replied. He watched as Dominion warships hurled themselves at the enemy. The Kreedak fleet was mainly composed of medium sized warships with larger ones dispersed among them. "The forward lines are holding."

"First, sensors are detecting an unknown object approaching." The First and the Vorta used their visual headsets to see a massive vessel emerge in a streak of green light. It immediately began firing on the Kreedak ships in the rear. "We are being hailed."

"Answer them," the Vorta replied and watched as the image of the ship was replaced by one of a founder. "Founder," the Vorta spoke in greeting.

"I'm afraid we have no time for introductions. The vessel I've come on is here to help. We will hit the Kreedak from the rear while you press them from the front."

"As you wish Founder," Keevan replied.

As the Dominion ships pushed forward, space was filled with Transwarp apertures as more Borg ships arrived. Alissa had sent for them as soon as she had detected the weapons fire. Over a thousand Cubes and other vessels arrived and began attacking the Kreedak. A moment later the Dominion Fifth Fleet arrived as well.

…

On board the Kreedak Battle Hive _Dark Swarm_, Commander Haass Keredif observed the battle. The arrival of the Borg had not been anticipated. Their resistance quotient was extremely high. So far they had defeated every Kreedak assault made against them.

"Time until we enter range for the main cannon," Haass demanded, his claws clicking together.

"At present speed seven minutes Commander," one of the workers replied. "The Borg are turning our left flank. They will enter weapons range in two minutes. Your orders my lord?"

"Order the fleet to increase to maximum speed. The Hive Elders tasked us with the destruction of this planet, and I will not disappoint them."

"As you command my lord."

…

"The enemy fleet is increasing speed," Commander Alana replied. "I am also detecting a massive build up of energy in the enemy flagship, likely a weapon."

"All vessels press forward. Get the Demon's Tooth into a clear firing position!" Alissa ordered. She watched as the Dominion fleet as well as her own attempted to reach the enemy flagship. Suddenly the ship extended six spikes from its front and green energy began flowing.

"I am reading massive energy surge," Alana reported.

"No choice then," Alissa said and closed her eyes. Eight Cubes suddenly warped into orbit of the Founders planet and formed a line just as the enemy flagship fired. A massive blue-green beam shot out. The eight Cubes exploded in sequence, but by the time the beam reached the surface it had only a fraction of its original power. Still a small wave was created and a crater was blasted into the surface. Odo gasped.

Just as the beam hit the surface the Borg Demon's Tooth fired its own weapon, cutting the Battle Five in half. Escape pods began launching. Jem'hadar warships picked the majority of them off, but a few were tractored into other Kreedak ships as the remaining 4,000 ships retreated into subspace tunnels.

"Hail the Dominion flagship," Alissa ordered. As soon as the image of a distraught Vorta appeared on the screen Alissa began talking.

"Vorta, I am Alissa, commander of the Borg flagship. I regret we were unable to prevent the Kreedak flagship from firing, but I would like to speak with the Founders as soon as possible."

"I will relay your request," Keevan replied.

…

It took seven hours before Alissa and Alana were granted permission to beam down to the planet, and only under heavy guard.

The two Borg and five Jem'hadar materialized on a small island in the middle of a golden sea. Odo could see pieces of black ash in the golden water, the remains of dead founders. A shape began taking shape, resolving into a female changeling Odo recognized.

"Hello Odo," the female shapeshifter spoke in greeting.

"Hello. This is Commander Alana and Queen Sinal of the Borg."

"I am very sorry we were unable to destroy the Kreedak weapon in time. Did you suffer many losses?" Alissa asked.

"Nearly five hundred founders were killed," the female shapeshifter replied. Odo hung his head. "But your actions likely saved tens of millions, and for that we thank you. How many did you lose?"

"Each Cube had a crew of 150,000 drones, but they can be replaced. If there is any way we can aid you please ask."

"We will survive. Why have you come to our world?"

"To propose an alliance against the race that attacked you. The Borg have been under attack for over a month. With our two empires joined together the Kreedak won't stand a chance. If you agree we can begin sharing our technologies. Your ships would benefit greatly from Transwarp drive and adaptive shielding, and your rapid cloning technology would prove most useful to us. Do you find that acceptable?"

"I will take your proposal to the Great Link," the female shapeshifter said as she melted into the golden sea.

…

Alissa, Alana and Odo waited for over three hours until the female changeling reappeared.

"I have spoken to the Link, and they have accepted your proposal. The Kreedak must be made to pay **dearly** for what they have done."

"I am grateful," Alissa replied. "The Borg have recently assimilated a Kreedak vessel and obtained a partial map of their territory. Once your fleets are fitted with Transwarp capabilities we can begin a counterattack."

"Very well. We will arrange for a supply of cloning chambers to be transferred to your vessel."

"Thank you. We will return to our vessel. Until we meet again." After the landing party had gone the female changeling rejoined the Great Link, to mourn for those lost. The Kreedak would pay for their actions with their lives, and with the Borg and Dominion allied together, the days of the Kreedak were numbered.

**How was that? So the Dominion and the Borg are allies now. Will the Kreedak stand a chance? What happened to the Kreedak Commander? Find out in the next exciting chapter of A New Way. See ya all then, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Refugees

**Chapter Sixteen: Refugees**

Alissa and the Sinal were watching as the first groups of Borg clones emerged. The Dominion had provided Alissa with the coordinates of a world called Argratha. Its people were extremely skilled in mind alteration, and Alissa had used their technology to create a device she called a life simulator. It allowed the growing clones to experience twenty years of life as independent drones. They were part of an experiment by Alissa. Intrigued by how effective ships piloted by individuals could be, she had decided to try it herself. New vessels were being constructed at the Borg's first mobile Unimatrix. The Kreedak had continued their attacks in ever escalating numbers, but the Borg and Dominion had driven them back. The Resalians had been driven back to five systems surrounding their homeworld. Sin'tau's fleet would begin the final assault within a week.

As the drones emerged from their cloning chambers, they quickly formed groups. Alissa entered the room with Sinal.

"Welcome. You are the first drones to be created with individual thoughts and abilities. You are the future of the Borg. Tell me, who do you serve?"

"The Collective," the drones replied. In their simulated lives they had gone through Alissa's version of Starfleet Academy.

"Good. Your vessel will arrive shortly. Your first assignment will be to attack a small Kreedak scout force in sector 197J." After Alissa dismissed the drones, Sinal turned to her.

"So these drones think for themselves?"

"Yes, but they are also completely loyal to me. Their training assures that. So Sinal, once the Resalians are crushed I'll talk to your father about you becoming one of my Commanders."

"Thank you Alissa," Sinal replied, her tail swishing from side to side quickly. She couldn't wait until she could be more like Alissa.

…

On the edge of Borg space three vessels dropped out of Warp. Two were black, dagger shaped craft 350 meters long. The third was a 500 meter long oval shaped vessel covered in silk like armor. 3 Cubes arrived a moment later.

…

On board the Endgre destroyer_ Tin'sheld, _Captain Silcrin watched apprehensively as three massive cube shaped vessels bore down on her scout fleet.

"Tactical analysis?"

"Each Cube is armed with sixty high yield plasma weapons and twenty torpedo tubes. Their shields are extremely powerful, and they are also generating some sort of stealth field that is preventing our sensors from attaining a target lock," Silcrin's first officer replied. "They're hailing us."

"Put them on."

"_We are the Borg. You have entered our territory. State your identity and purpose." _ Said a voice that sounded like a thousand people speaking in unison.

"This is Captain Silcrin of the Endgre destroyer _Tin'sheld_. We have entered this space seeking a new home for our people. We are fleeing from a race known as the Kreedak," Captain Silcrin replied. The Borg Cube remained silent for several long minutes.

"_Remain at your present position. A vessel will arrive shortly." _The Borg replied.

…

Thirty minutes after the Endgre vessel arrived, Alissa's Diamond arrived. Silcrin was awed by the size of the ship.

"We are being hailed."

"Answer them," Silcrin replied. She waited and the image of a girl appeared.

"Captain Silcrin. I am Alissa, leader of the Borg Collective. I would like to invite you and one other on board my vessel to talk."

"Thank you. We will beam aboard in ten minutes."

…

Alissa and Alana waited in a conference room when their guests beamed aboard. Captain Silcrin was a women just under two meters tall, with light green skin and blue hair that reached down to her waist. Her eyes were a light shade of purple. She was dressed in a blue and green uniform with silver trim. The second guest was a massive two and half meter tall man clad in a suit of black armor and carrying a sword on one hip and a pistol on the other. One of his eyes was a glowing red prosthetic.

"Greetings Miss Alissa. Allow me to introduce Commander Tel'Neth of the Mintal Empire. Both of our races have been driven from our homes by the Kreedak. My homeworld was burned only six months ago. Ever since, we survivors have fled, searching for a new home and protection from the Kreedak." Captain Silcrin said.

"It is good to meet you. I am Queen Alissa, and this is Commander Alana. Our empire has also been under attack by the Kreedak. We have been searching for allies ourselves. So tell me, how many of you are there?"

"Our main fleet is several light years from here, hiding in a nebula," Silcrin replied. "In total there are eleven thousand vessels, including the evacuation ships and supply vessels. If you are willing to help us Queen Alissa, my people are in desperate need of food and medical supplies. We have been under near constant attack from Kreedak raiders and our supplies are running low."

"I would like to meet your leaders. If we can come to an agreement it should be simple enough to provide you with all the food and medicine you need."

"Thank you Queen Alissa," Silcrin replied. "I will send word to the main fleet. Your vessel may accompany us."

"Agreed. Signal us when you're ready." Silcrin and Tel'Neth beamed back to their ships and Alissa's Diamond fell in behind them.

…

**Kreedak Core worlds **

Commander Haass stood quivering before the Kreedak High Council. The leaders of the ten Great Hives spoke to each other in hushed whispers. High Council room was massive over eight stories high with a mix of organic and metal panels hundreds of Kreedak of all breeds looking down at the main floor.

"Commander Haass, you have failed in your mission to destroy the homeworld of the Dominion. Your failure also resulted in the complete destruction of the Battle Hive _Dark Star_. What do you have to say for yourself?" Asked the leader of the Blood Claws Hive.

"I would have succeeded if it had not been for the arrival of the Borg Lords. As I am sure this council is aware, Borg vessels are among the most powerful our fleets have ever encountered. As of yet all our assaults into their space have been destroyed. We must deal with the Borg, and soon."

"I take it from your tone that you have a plan," replied the leader of the Hive of the Raging Storm.

"Indeed Elders. I have received word that the Endgre and Mintal remains have made contact with the Borg. If they are allowed to join with the Borg they will be even harder to defeat. I propose we gather as large a fleet as we can and attack. We can destroy the Endgre and Mintal and the Borg flagship as well. That will cripple the Borg fleet long enough for us to launch an invasion of Borg space. An invasion which I volunteer to lead personally."

"Very well Haass. Because of your exemplary service in the past, we will give you one more chance. But fail us again, and you needn't bother returning at all," the leader of the Silver Wings Hive replied. "Now leave us."

As Commander Haass left the council chamber, he was steaming. The Borg had damaged his military career, perhaps fatally. He made a promise to himself. He would see the entire Borg race burn before him, even if it cost him everything. He would not fail.

**How was that? So the Borg have made some new friends. Will the meeting go well? Will Commander Haass succeed in his quest to destroy the Borg? Will Alissa's independent drone project prove successful? Keep reading and find out. Well, see ya all in the next exciting chapter of A New Way, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Storm Front: Part One

**Chapter Seventeen: Storm Front: Part One**

Alissa's Diamond and the Mintal and Endgre scout fleet dropped out of Transwarp near a nebula. They entered slowly. Soon they saw the fleet. It was indeed massive. The Endgre ships were slightly organic looking craft, covered in silk like amour and mostly oval in shape. The Mintal ships were the opposite: Black armored warships with turrets thrusting from the hull. Their engines glowed a menacing red, and Alissa thought about changing the color of Borg ships to match them.

The fleet angled toward a massive Endgre ship in the center of the fleet. Its armor was a deep jade and its engines glowed a soft purple. Alissa and Alana boarded a shuttle and soon entered a fighter bay. Hundreds of Endgre troops shouldered their arms. Alissa and Alana walked forward, being led out of the bay and to a conference room. Alissa saw that the interior of the ship was constructed mostly of the same silk material as the armor.

When Alissa and Alana arrived at the conference room two others were already there, an Endgre and a Mintal. The Endgre rose to her feet. She was tall, over two meters and dressed in regal robes of many colors. Her skin was light green and her hair light blue with a streak of red down the back, the ends pooling on the floor.

"Greetings Queen Alissa. I am First Lady Morsay Uday, leader of the Endgre. Allow me to introduce Malade Hoder, Lord Commander of the Mintal fleet."

Alissa bowed to both of them. "It's an honor to meet you. Now, you are seeking shelter from the Kreedak correct?"

"Yes," First Lady Morsay replied.

"I believe I can find a few star systems for your people. All I ask in return is access to your technology and database. You may possess technology that will aid the Borg in the destruction of the Kreedak."

"You believe you can defeat the Kreedak?" Hoder asked. "Both our empire and the Endgre could only slow them down."

"The Borg armada is much larger than you think. Our fleet currently numbers 4.7 million vessels, 80 percent of which are Cubes. I believe that would provide a decent defense against the Kreedak," Alissa replied. There was silence.

"You possess nearly five million vessels?" First Lady Morsay asked. Alissa smiled.

"Yes, and with the technology from your fleet we will soon launch a massive attack on the Kreedak. If you wish your vessels may fight with us. So, do we have a deal? Your technology in exchange for shelter and revenge?"

"I will agree," Morsay replied. "Even since the Kreedak burned our homeworld my people have thirsted for revenge. You have our support."

"You have ours as well," Commander Hoder added. "We will see the Kreedak burn."

"Excellent. Prepare you ships for-" suddenly the ship's lighting darkened and orange lights began flashing. "What is happening?" Alissa asked. She linked to her Diamond's sensors and saw that Kreedak warships coming out of Subspace.

"Kreedak vessels approaching First Lady," came the reply to Morsay's query.

"How many?"

"Eighty thousand." Everyone was shocked into silence.

"Eighty thousand?" Morsay couldn't believe it. Alissa reacted first.

"Everyone, form your vessels up. I will open a Transwarp conduit to a safe system. Get your ships through as fast as you can. I will hold them off."

"You have only one ship. You can't possibly hold them on your own," Morsay said. Alissa smiled.

"I never said I was alone." Out in space over ten thousand Borg Cubes decloaked. Alissa had been counting on a Kreedak attack. She wanted to destroy a large segment of their fleet before the Borg invasion began. "Move your ships into the conduit. It will open shortly. My fleet will handle the Kreedak." Alissa and Alana beamed back to the Diamond, which took a place near the rear of the Borg armada. The Kreedak's time had come.

…

Commander Haass stood proudly on the bridge of the Battle Hive _Death Spitter_. His fleet was one of the largest ever assembled in Kreedak history. Eighty thousand vessels, including nearly fifty Battle Hives. The Borg armada numbered eight times his own, but that would soon be remedied.

"Power the main canons of the Battle Hives and set them for flak mode." The drones manning the weapons consoles clicked and hissed as they carried out their orders.

In space, the main guns of forty-six Battle Hives opened and began shining a blinding white. The fleet spread open like an opening flower, leaving the Battle Hives with a clear shot into the Borg fleet. The Mintal and Endgre fleet had gone into a Transwarp conduit. Then the Battle Hives fired, but instead of solid beams, the main Kreedak cannons fired waves of subspace energy. It spread like a wave, thundering toward the Borg. They would not escape Haass's wrath this time.

…

"_Alert. Large energy wave approaching. Subspace shockwave, high power reading. Chance of survival zero percent." _

"All ships evasive action, NOW!" Alissa had expected Battle Hives, but she had not counted on a flak burst. She sent frantic signals to her ships. Most of them managed to warp out of the way of the shockwave, but nine hundred and fifty vessels were destroyed. The remaining Cubes and Alissa's Diamond returned fire. Alissa called for Demon's Tooth vessels to combat the Battle Hives. Seven arrived moments later, all the Borg currently possessed. With the Kreedak fleet spread out the blasts blew apart seven Battle Hives. The Kreedak ships immediately moved to cover the remaining Battle Hives, but doing so prevented more flak bursts.

The Borg fleet fired volley after volley into the Kreedak. Disruptors, bio-beams and Chronoton torpedoes lashed into the more numerous but technologically inferior Kreedak vessels. Subspace phasers tore through Borg shielding, but heavy armor prevented major damage and regeneration quickly engaged. Kreedak fighters dueled with Borg Daggers as they danced around the larger vessels. Tiny explosions went off constantly. Kreedak boarding pods were dispatched but thankfully none made it through. Alissa called in more vessels and over the next few minutes twenty thousand more Cubes and five thousand Spheres arrived and joined the battle. The Kreedak used Subspace shockwaves twice more, each time killing nearly a thousand or more Cubes, but they lost seven Battle Hives each time from return fire from the Borg Demon's Tooths. The Borg were winning the field.

…

Commander Haass slashed through a nearby worker in frustration, its blood splattering over his shell.

"All vessels fire! We will not retreat from the Borg! We must win! Prepare another flak burst! Target the center of the Borg formation!"

"But my lord, we have already lost nearly-" the officer was killed as Haass speared him with his blade.

"Anyone who questions mo orders will die! NOW DO AS I COMMAND!" Haass watched happily as another thousand Borg Cubes were killed. He could still win this. Then the Borg return volley claimed another seven Battle Hives. His weapons couldn't reach the Borg ship killers. They were hidden behind a wall of Cubes and their weapons were thin beams, which enabled them to fire** through** the Borg formation. All around him Kreedak ships were dying. Borg vessels had begun wading through his formation, losing dozens to Subspace phasers and torpedoes, but each destroyed many Kreedak vessels before dying. His fleet numbered less than half of its initial compliment, yet Haass would not, could not, retreat. If he did the Elders would surely execute him. No, better to die here and take as many Borg with his as he could. Suddenly he spied the Borg flagship, a massive Diamond, wading into the battle. Its weapons killed dozens of ships with each salvo. "Order all ships to hit that vessel! NOW!"

…

Alissa felt her Diamond shake as the entire Kreedak turned its guns on her vessel. Its shields were weakening; phasers tore at armor, but her escort Cubes protected her. The Battle Hives loomed ahead. One of them was moving to ram. The Demon's Tooth vessels fired again, taking out most of the remaining Battle Hives. Alissa's ship savaged the last one with everything it had. A Concentrated beam cut through ten Cubes in front of her. Then the Diamond exploded the Hive's main cannon, sending the ship spinning. Immediately tens of thousands of drones were beamed aboard. Alissa wanted data on the Battle Hive's main cannon. Casualties ran high, but gradually the defenders were killed. The rest of the Kreedak fleet was destroyed. Only the Battle Hive remained.

…

Hass rammed his blade through the chest of an advancing Borg drone. All around him robotic flying discs killed his warriors. Drones armed with anti-matter rifles fought through ambush and fire. The self-destruct had been disabled. Haass knew he was going to die, but he would go down fighting. He continued killing Borg, his bio acid launchers melting flesh from bone, his claws and molecular blade slicing through armor. He saw his Lieutenant go down, tubules stuck in his neck. He jumped over and killed the offending drone, then felt a sting in his foot. A drone he had thrown to the floor had jammed its assimilation tubules into his ankle. He stabbed downward and killed the drone, but already a wave of grey was spreading. Gritting his teeth, Haass slashed and cut off his foot in an eruption of blood. As he cried out another drone stuck his arm, a second his back and a third in his chest. A disruptor beam knocked him into a wall. As he felt himself being swamped by billions of voices, he cried out one last time.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

…

The battle was over. Eighty thousand Kreedak ships drifted in pieces. The Battle Hive had been secured, but the victory had come at a high price. Over nine thousand Cubes were destroyed, and many more had taken heavy damage. Similar battles had taken place in a dozen other systems, and in all but four the Kreedak had won. Eight Borg systems had been destroyed, their planets detonated by Battle Hives. Vessels losses were over thirty thousand. Still, the Kreedak losses had been far higher. Alissa, knowing the war was now in full swung, was preparing to deploy her full might. The Dominion armada would be assembled and would fight alongside the Borg. The Endgre and the Mintal would take their places as well. The Collective Alliance would face the Kreedak. They would destroy their fleets, burn their worlds, and kill every last one of them. The sleeping giant that was the Borg Collective had been awakened, and it was hungry.

**So what did you think? Sorry it's been so long since I updated. I've been busy with school. So the Borg and Kreedak War has finally begun. Who will win? Will the Collective take the fight to the Kreedak, or will they be overwhelmed. Will the Alpha Quadrant Powers intervene? And what will happen to Sinal when she does something unexpected? Find out in the next exciting chapter of A New Way. See ya all then, and don't forget to review! **

**ENTILZA**


	18. Chapter 18: Vessels and Technology

**Chapter 16: Vessels and Technology**

**At the request of one of my reviewers, this chapter will classify and explain the new starships and technology the Borg will use in this story, including some that has not yet been revealed. Enjoy!**

Borg Vessels:

**Mark 2 Cube: **Simply an upgraded Cube, this class of vessel comprises most of the Borg fleet. Equipped with the latest technology, the Cube is armed with sixty high yield Borg disruptors, capable of operating in both beam and pulse modes, and 20 Chronoton torpedo launchers. Its hull is protected by double layered adaptive shielding and bio nano hull armor.

**Battle Cube: **A larger version of the Cube built to go toe to toe with larger Kreedak fleets. The Battle Cube is 70 percent larger than a standard Cube. It is armed with 120 high yield disruptors, 50 Chronoton torpedo launchers and 4 Subspace Cannons, one on each vertical side. The Battle Cube typically operates in a 3 to ratio with standard Cubes.

**Carrier Cube: **Developed by Commander Ger Dah after his appointment as a Borg Commander. The Carrier Cube carries half the weapons of a standard Cube, but also carries 2,000 fighter craft that can be launched in less than 5 minutes.

**Demon's Tooth: **Originally developed in a future timeline by a grown Sinal, the sole surviving Demon's Tooth traveled back in time to prevent the fall of the Borg. Though the future Sinal was killed by a Kreedak poison, her vessel survived and was developed into a new class of Borg vessel designed for destroying enemy installations and planets. The Demon's Tooth's main weapon is a massively powerful disruptor capable of obliterating any yet encountered space installation or vessel with a single shot. It can also be used in groups of three to destroy an entire planet within thirty seconds. Other than its main cannon the Demon's Tooth is only armed with 30 disruptors and 7 torpedo launchers. An interesting fact about the Demon's Tooth is that it is powered by an Omega Particle Reactor. This is necessary for the main weapon. The ship itself is an elongated diamond shape the height of 4 Cubes and the width of 2.

**Mark 2 Probe: **The Mark 2 Probe has been adapted from service as a scout to serve as an electronic warfare vessel. Forging most of its armaments and armed with only 2 disruptors, the Probe is equipped with high powered subspace jammers and stealth generators, making the ship and any near it almost impossible to target or even see on sensors.

**Diamond Flagship: **The only vessel of its kind, the diamond flagship is Queen Alissa's personal flagship and is more of a mobile battlestation than a warship. The ship itself is 8,000 meters long and 9,000 meters high and powered by seven Omega molecule reactors. It is heavily armed; boasting 3,500 high yield disruptors, 1,500 Chronoton torpedo launchers, 20 subspace cannons and 6 Demon's Tooth planetary disruptors. It is defended by ten layers of adaptive shielding and heavy bio nano hull armor. It is almost never seen without a very strong escort fleet, though it is certainly capable of engaging entire enemy fleets on its own.

**Dark Bio Ship: **Constructed in Fluidic Space, Dark Bio Ships are over twice the size of 8472 bio ships and are used to support Borg fleets in combat. Their hulls are jet black as their name suggests. They are crewed by 3 cloned 8472 drones and armed with 1 heavy bio beam in the nose and 3 medium bio beams mounted in the wings. Their hulls are protected by bio nano hull armor ad adaptive shielding.

**Borg War Cruiser: **The first vessel developed as part of Alissa's independent drone program. The War Cruiser is a 1 kilometer long rectangle with two large read sweeping wings near the rear engine matrix. Four smaller curved spines are clustered around the nose that power a subspace cannon. Other weapons include 30 disruptors and 20 Chronoton torpedo launchers. The weapon points are modular and can be changed anytime depending on the will of the ship's captain. Defenses consist of adaptive shielding and bio nano hull armor.

**Claw class light cruiser: **A light support vessel that operates in concert with the War Cruiser, but half the size. The Claw is armed with 20 disruptors and 10 Chronoton torpedo launchers. It is defended by adaptive shielding and bio nano hull armor.

**Mobile Unimatrix: **A mobile base capable of transwarp and 1/2 impulse. Based on the Demon's Tooth but nearly twice the size, with four cube shaped structures extending from the center. The mobile Unimatrix contains a shipyard, cloning facilities, a factory and a command node. They are armed with 300 disruptors and 70 torpedo launchers. Defenses are standard with the exception of subspace jammers to hide the Unimatrix from enemy sensors. Onboard carrier bays hold 700 fighters for defense. Mobile Unimatrix vessels are used by the Independent Drone Fleet and very few were built.

**Fighters: **

**Dagger Interceptor: **The most common type of Borg fighter. The Dagger is approximately the size of a Starfleet Runabout but is shaped more like a dagger, hence the name. The Dagger is armed with two rapid fire disruptors and a single micro torpedo launcher. It can also be fitted with up to 4 full size torpedoes on the wings, but this will reduce the fighter's maneuverability. The ship is defended by adaptive shielding and standard Borg armor.

**Duel Dagger Bomber: **A twin hulled version of the Dagger, the Duel Dagger was developed to swarm and destroy enemy capital ships. It is armed with 4 turreted pulse disruptors and 1 Chronoton torpedo launcher with an 8 torpedo magazine. It is defended by adaptive shielding and heavy armor.

**New Drones:**

**Mark 2 Tactical Drone: **The new foot soldiers of the Borg. Created from Jem'hadar and data on human augments, the Mk2 Tactical drone has twice the strength and speed of an assimilated human. They are born as individuals but spend 18-20 simulated years in Alissa's virtual academy. They are 2.5 meters in height and covered in a complete suit of Borg armor that includes a Jem'hadar shrouding system. They are armed with two shoulder mounted disruptors, 2 wrist mounted assimilation dart guns and an antimatter rifle. They are deployed in divisions of 1,500 to 100,000.

**Slasher Drones: **Slasher drones are warriors created for maximum speed and dexterity. They are protected by Borg shielding and a Voth personal cloak. They are equipped with 2 wrist mounted assimilation dart guns, twin disruptor pistols and several throwing knives. They also have jump jets build into their feet and back for added jumping ability. They are independent drones but have the ability to connect to the hive mind to transfer data or download instructions.

**Exo-suit drone: **Basically a standard drone wearing an armored battle suit. The suited drone stands 3 meters tall and is armed with twin heavy disruptors in shoulder mounts, a miniature cutting beam in the left arm and an antimatter autocannon in the right. Protected by shielding and bio nano hull armor. Exo suits were developed to combat Kreedak heavy infantry and vehicles.

**Technology:**

**Bio Nano Hull Armor: **Developed from a combination of 8472 and Endgre dissipation armor combined with Borg armor plating. Nearly impervious to energy weapons and also highly resistant to kinetic weapons, bio nano hull armor takes time to create but is produced at hundreds of Borg manufacturing worlds.

**So how was that? Sorry about the story interruption. The main story will continue next chapter where something will change as the Borg Kreedak War heats up. See ya all then, and don't forget to review! The Emperor protects.**

**ENTILZA**


	19. Chapter 19: Storm Front: Part Two

**Chapter 19: Storm Front: Part Two**

**Borg System A94278:**

A line of charging Kreedak destroyers were vaporized under the combined fire of three hundred Jem'Hadar fighters as they swarmed the enemy. The Kreedak base in this system had been listed in the data banks of the captured Battle Hive as the primary Kreedak fleet base and construction yard outside the galactic core. Queen Alissa, along with the Dominion, Endgre and Mintal, had assembled a fleet of more than 100,000 ships, most of them Borg, with about 30,000 Dominion and other allied vessels. The Kreedak defenders only had 15,000 ships but heavy support fire from battle stations and weapon platforms, and already space was littered with debris from both sides.

On the command bridge of her flagship diamond, the newly christened _Crimson Tempest, _Queen Alissa stood with Commander Alana, Sinal and a female Founder. The bridge was the size of a school gymnasium and built around a circular command dais, with secondary consoles ringing the edges, all manned by independent drones fresh from the cloning factories. With the recent influx of new technology, both acquired and invented, the Borg were stronger than they had ever been. With new enhanced poleron weapons, bio nano hull armor, subspace weaponry and tactical leadership, the Kreedak were in serious trouble. Demon's Tooth vessels took out defensive battle stations one by one from nearly 30 million kilometers away, leaving the way open for newly constructed Battle Cubes and Dominion Super Dreadnaughts to tear through lighter Kreedak vessels.

Battle Cubes were a new design. Nearly twice the size of a normal Cube, they mounted many more weapons and heavier armor. They were also the first Borg vessels to mount Subspace Cannons based on captured Kreedak plans. Combined, the new and improved Borg fleet tore through the Kreedak defenders.

"I believe we are nearly finished here," the Founder said. As much as she disliked an alliance with these Borg, she at least knew enough to respect their power. The Dominion had also expanded its territory by nearly a third with help from Borg technology. Adaptive shielding and light bio nano hull armor enabled their smaller vessels to go head on with the ships of the line of other races.

"Perhaps, but this system still needs to be assimilated," Queen Alissa replied from her blue upholstered throne. Her hands danced over panels built into the armrests. The entire throne was surrounded by a rippling screen transparent from the outside, but providing Alissa with a perfect 360 image of surrounding space, complete with tactical information. "My fleet will be within striking range of the Kreedak planet in ten minutes. Patience Founder, patience."

…

Kreedak Commander Fiilnees slammed his hand down onto the arm of his command chair, cracking it. He had been entrusted by the Elders to safeguard the Kreedak's primary shipbuilding and supply system outside their official borders. Now a fleet nearly eight times the size of his own was attacking. The cursed Borg ship killers were steadily reducing his formidable battle stations to slag, and weapon platforms were far too few to be of any use. The purple ships died in droves, but the massive Borg Cubes stood up to everything the Kreedak threw at them while loosing only a few dozen of their number. Their hull armor had been heavily reinforced, and it took concentrated fire from a hundred vessels to burn through it.

"Commander, the Borg fleet has breached the final defense barrier. Your command?"

"Have we received any word of reinforcements?"

"No my Lord. We should-" the aid was cut off as the first salvo from the advancing enemy slammed into the Battle Hive _Scarab. _Its own shields held, but many of the escort fleet were taken out by the salvoes of torpedoes and beam weapons. Several shipyards exploded, half finished warships tumbling away in pieces.

"Signal the remaining ships. We must withdraw!"

"As you command." As the remains of the Kreedak defense fleet began pulling back, a force of five hundred Cubes decloaked directly aft of them and opened fire. Most of the smaller ships vanished. Larger wrecks were drawn into the docking bays of Cubes and taken apart. Thousands of Kreedak were assimilated, their knowledge added to the Borg.

"Target the main cannon on that large Cube and set for narrow beam!" Commander Fillnees watched proudly as the Subspace Cannon lanced into the Borg Battle Cube, cutting through its armor and detonating the entire vessel in a massive explosion. But an instant later the Battle Hive was hit with dozens of blasts from the Borg's newest weapon, the Breen Energy Dampener. Consoles fizzled out and crew member were sent flying as inertial dampeners failed. Then Borg drones beamed aboard, firing small pellets into the bridge crew, who were quickly assimilated.

On the surface of the planet, defenses were shut down by energy dampeners, and fighters sprayed nano probes in aerosol form. Three hundred million Kreedak were assimilated within hours, and the planet's mining and manufacturing facilities were upgraded and put to work.

In orbit Kreedak shipyards were drawn into the gaping maws of Borg Assemblers: Massive ships nearly 20 kilometers long and sprouting docking arms at even intervals, they served as mobile manufacturing facilities and construction yards. A more refined form was being created for the growing Independent Drone Fleet. Damaged Borg vessels attached to the ship's superstructure arms and worker drones began replacing damaged components. Already defense platforms and defensive battle stations were being manufactured. Once this system was secured it would act as the Borg's launching point into Kreedak space. Already data from the assimilated Commander and his vessel was being analyzed. In less that a week the Borg's main offensive would begin.

…

Sinal approached Alissa, her tail twitching.

"Alissa, I think I'll go and see my father. It's his birthday tomorrow and I'd like to be there."

"All right," Alissa smiled. "I'll come with you." Both of them beamed onto a Sphere, since it had the fastest Transwarp drive. They would arrive at Sinal's homeworld in two days. However, unknown to Alissa, Sinal was about to reveal a birthday surprise that would change her forever.

**How was that? Sorry if there was too little action. This chapter was mainly to demonstrate the power of the new Borg fleet. In the next chapter we will find out what Sinal is up to, as well as the introduction of Independent Drone Fleet. Well, see ya all then, and don't forget to review! The Emperor protects.**

**ENTILZA**

**P.S. If any of you would like a Commander of your own to appear in the story E-mail me. Be sure to include race (real or invented) appearance, talents and flagship. Thanks again. See ya next chapter. **


	20. Chapter 20: Changing Tides

**Chapter 20: Changing Tides**

Alissa and Sinal's Sphere dropped out of Transwarp in orbit of the Sinai Homeworld. It was surrounded by dozens of orbital weapon platforms and hundreds of warships. With the Resalian homeworld now under Sinai control, Emperor Sin'tau was preparing for a push into surrounding systems.

Sinal entered Alissa's chambers. She was about to beam to the surface, but she wanted to do something first. When she met her father, she wanted to show him both who she had become and who she wanted to be. She searched through drawers and chests until she finally found it. A small vial. It contained nano probes Alissa had developed just for her. They would assimilate her body but leave her mind intact. She slipped the vial into a fold of her dress and tapped a panel which beamed her to her father's palace in the capitol.

…

The Borg advance fleet dropped out of Transwarp in the Kreedak system of Kre'jet. Five thousand Cubes and twenty Battle Cubes, led by two Demon's Tooth Destroyers. Commander Alana directed the operation from the Demon's Tooth _Black Nova. _The Kreedak defenders in this system consisted of 24,000 vessels and 156 orbital stations. The Demon's Tooth ships immediately began targeting the stations while the Cubes fired Energy Dampeners, disabling hundreds of ships.

…

Commander Blzz Zant watched as the Borg fleet tore through the defenders of Kre'jet. His fleet was waiting, hidden, for just the right moment to strike.

"They approach the planet. We must strike now!" Hissed one of the officers.

"Not yet. Let them get a bit further," Zant replied. He watched the Borg mow down the Kreedak warships and assume a half sphere formation in preparation for an attack on the planet. "Not yet!" The Borg entered orbit.

"Commander!" The Fleet Commodore shouted.

"All ships decloak! FIRE!"

…

Commander Alana watched in horror as nearly 100,000 Kreedak warships decloaked around her fleet and opened fire. Cubes exploded left and right, and one of the Demon's Tooth Destroyers was torn apart by a barrage of Subspace beams. It was the first Demon's Tooth to be destroyed so far in the war.

The Borg fleet was not defenseless, and Borg batteries lashed back at the Kreedak, but their shields were far more durable. It took the combined fire of five Cubes to penetrate them. The Breen weapon still worked through, and a growing number of Kreedak ships were drifting. Still, the Borg were outnumbered nearly 20 to one. Suddenly a hail of bright purple torpedoes came in and annialated 300 Cubes. The remaining Kreedak ships closed ranks around the Borg.

…

"Good. The Tri-Phasic torpedoes work," Commander Zant said. The Tri-Phasic torpedoes worked by operating under a partial phase cloak and detonating within a Borg vessel. It took only six to destroy one of their mighty Cubes. The Subspace Lances and enhanced shields were also performing better than expected. The Plasma cannons burned through Borg shields easily, and already over half the Borg force was burning. The Borg had had their fun. Now the Kreedak would crush them, just as they had crushed any race that stood in their way.

…

"All vessels prepare to retreat!" Commander Alana ordered.

"We can't, not without running that gauntlet the Kreedak are setting up," an officer replied.

"Then I suppose it's time we used another way out. Open the singularities! It's time we reveal our Queen's newest weapon."

Out in space dozens of quantum singularities opened and disgorged thousands of 8472 bio ships, but these were different. They were more than twice the size of normal 8472 vessels and jet black. They fired angry red bio beams from a heavy mount on their nose and three smaller weapons mounted on their fins. Kreedak weapons struggled to find them as the bio ships darted and weaved with speeds no Borg vessel could hope to match.

…

Commander Zant gripped the arms of his command station as his Battle Hive was rocked by bio beam impacts.

"Target those new vessels! Destroy them!"

"We are trying Commander. These new vessels are extremely maneuverable."

"Destroy them or I will personally remove your intestines and feed them to the grubs!"

The Kreedak fleet launched swarms of fighters, who engaged the Dark Bio Ships with plasma weapons and subspace lasers, burning through their reinforced hulls and cleaving them into pieces. Gradually the Borg were driven back into a sphere formation.

…

"We've lost here. All ships enter the singularities! We must escape while we can!" Commander Alana ordered. She watched as the few Borg vessels that could still function entered the quantum singularities. "We may have been defeated, but I have a last surprise for you," Alana whispered at the Kreedak fleet. As her vessel entered the last open singularity, a cloaked Multi Kinetic Neutronic Mine detonated, destroying nearly all the Kreedak ships and covering the worlds of the system with nano Probes. The Borg never left a system in enemy hands.

…

Commander Zant picked himself up off the smoldering floor of the Battle Hive. Most of the consoles were shattered, and the bridge crew, apart from two officers, were dead. He lifted a fallen support beam off his First Commander.

"What is the fleet's status?" Zant demanded.

"Only three hundred ships on the periphery of the fleet are still functional. Many report Borg components taking over. Our vessel has lost most of its armor but there are no reports of Nano Prone infestation."

"Than we succeeded. We tested the effects of our new weapon systems. We know from the data we recovered from the Borg that they have only a limited number of those mines, and once the main swarm is gathered we will overwhelm them. Tell the remaining ships to cleanse the infected worlds and return to the fleet base at Jen'fal."

The Kreedak warships sterilized the worlds infested by the Borg, then opened subspace tunnels and vanished.

…

Sinal looked out from her room at the rising sun. Her father would be here in a few minutes. The nano probes had already completed their work. Sinal had an implant above her left eye, and a mesh of metal traveling down her left arm. More implants were forming inside her body, and she could already hear the Collective. Then she heard the door to her room hiss open.

"Hello Sinal, I'm glad you made it."

"Thank you Father," Sinal replied. "Your present is on the desk." Sin'tau opened a small box ad found one of Sinal's pendants. It had a long golden chain and a ruby stone.

"It's beautiful. Thank you Sinal. Sinal, is something wrong?" Sinal turned to face her father and Sin'tau saw her Borg implants. "What have they done to you!"

"Nothing," Sinal replied. "This is my work. Ever since Alissa saved my life and those of every one of our people, you have not trusted her. You think she wants to harm our people after they gain our trust."

"That is not true," Sin'tau replied.

"I have seen the power of the Borg, and they could destroy us in an instant if they wished. The only reason they have not is me. Alissa and I have become close friends. She is saddened by the fact you have barely allowed us to see each other. I had to beg you to let me go with her!"

"I wanted to protect you, and look what has happened to you! You've maimed yourself with those hideous metal implants. You've betrayed me Sinal!" Sin'tau moved toward Sinal, who backed away.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to free you from whatever spell Alissa has placed over you!" Sinal cried. He slammed Alissa to the floor and tried to pull her eyelash implant off. "I lost your mother to the Resalians! I won't lose you to the Borg!" Sinal suddenly curled her legs and threw her father off her.

"I only wanted to bring out people and the Borg closer together, and this is how you reward me!"

"Listen to yourself Sinal! You're not-"

"Stop it! You've never respected me! It was always Sinia! She was born first! She was your pride and joy! And the SECOND I do something on my own, you react like this. Well, if that's how you're going to be, then I'm leaving." Sinal prepared to beam back to the sphere when she felt a searing pain in her back. She fell to the floor and saw her father holding a bloody dagger. "F-Father?" Sinal whispered. She could feel the blood leaking out of her back and forming a purple puddle beneath her.

"Alissa has corrupted your soul. This in the only way to free you," Sin'tau said, tears running down his eyes.

Sinal's vision began to darken. Then, just before she blacked out, she felt the tingle of a transporter beam. Then she knew nothing.

**So, how was that? So the Kreedak are about to go on the offensive again. Will their new weapons be a match for the Borg? Will the Borg find a way to beat the Kreedak back and defeat them once and for all? And what will happen to Sinal? Keep reading and find out. In the next chapter the Independent Drone Fleet will leave on its maiden voyage. Well, see ya all then, and don't forget to review! The Emperor protects.**

**ENTILZA**


	21. Chapter 21: New Faces

**Chapter 21: New Faces**

Alissa watched as Sinal slowly died. Nano probes could not isolate the poison in her system fast enough. It had already reached her brain. Finally the poison was neutralized, but was it too late?

"Run a medical scan," Alissa ordered.

"_Bodily functions returning to normal. Massive brain damage. Regeneration in progress. Estimated damage, 90 percent memory loss." _The Collective replied. Alissa hung her head.

"Revive her." Sinal opened her eyes and looked around in confusion. "Are you all right?"

"I think so, but who are you, and who am I?" Sinal replied.

"You are Sinal, and I'm Alissa, your big sister." Sinal tried to sit up but felt a stabbing pain in her back. "Don't try to move. You were badly injured."

Alissa gazed out the viewport at the world below her. Sin'tau had tried to kill his own daughter, the only thing that had kept Alissa from assimilating his entire race. She herself had told him that. But no longer. At her command fifty Borg Cubes decloaked and began firing on the Sinai homeworld. Cities vanished and bunkers were flattened. Fires raged across much of the surface. The orbital weapon platforms turned on their crews, killing them with gas and adding their firepower to that already tearing into the planet.

After a few minutes the Sinai homeworld was lifeless. Everything had been destroyed. Across Sinai space Borg vessels killed everything. The Sinai were wiped from existence. The Borg fleet began strip mining what they could from the former Sinai holdings. The Kreedak had intensified their attacks, and more Multi-kinetic mines were needed to repel them. Until the Borg could adapt to the newest Kreedak weapons the insects had the edge.

…

While Sinal was recovering, Alissa took a trip to the research labs. There the brightest minds in the Collective worked tirelessly to advance Borg technology. One of the scientists, the Krenim researcher Annorex, turned as he heard her enter.

"Ah, Queen Alissa. I'm glad you came."

"What do you have?" Alissa asked.

"As you know my people were advanced in the art of temporal weapons. Before my incorporation into the Collective I was working on developing a weapon capable of erasing entire species from time. However I was never able to perfect it. Instead, using technology taken from the Kreedak, I have developed a subatomic disintegration weapon. It uses a temporal field to penetrate energy shielding and instantly reduce a vessel to its component atoms. It takes quite a bit of power however, and I believe only Battle Cubes and above could mount the weapon without compromising its other systems."

"Excellent work, however the Kreedak torpedoes are what worry me most."

"I am aware. We are close to perfecting two new weapon systems which show great promise. The first is a point defense phaser array capable of detonating incoming torpedoes. The second is a phalanx torpedo to be that promises to be deadly to Kreedak fighters. I estimate both systems will be ready for deployment within a month."

"Excellent work. Get me those weapons within two weeks and I will allow you to claim you old homeworld as your personal research base." Annorex smiled.

"I will try my queen."

…

Back in her cabin, Alissa and Sinal talked. All she remembered was Alissa. She requested a new body and spent several hours designing it. It appeared around fifteen years old and had black hair that ended above the knees. Sinal had elected to keep her feline ears and tail, but the rest of her new body was human. Her eyes were yellow and she wore a suit of Borg armor.

"How do I look Big Sister?' Sinal asked.

"Perfect," Alissa replied. Sinal was already assimilating large amounts of information. Soon she would be ready to become one of Alissa's commanders. "I have to go now. The Kreedak are stepping up their attacks. Once you're ready, you may join me."

"Ok Big Sister!" Sinal replied, closing her eyes and concentrating on the information entering her brain.

…

The Borg defenders of system 15739 were holding their own against the encroaching Kreedak fleet. Cloaked subspace mines were slowing them down and long range salvoes from Borg Harbingers were taking their toll.

"Continue advancing," Commander Jess'nel replied. His fleet had lost nearly a quarter of its strength but the Borg defenders were beginning to fall back. The tri-phasic torpedoes tore apart Cube after Cube, but many were being intercepted by small disruptors. The mines were also forcing his force to move slower as they cleared them out. His Battle Hive took down the orbital battlestations one by one, clearing the way for the troop ships.

"My lord, the Borg vessels are withdrawing to the fourth planet," an officer called out.

"Good, pursue them. Let none survive." As the still 9,000 strong Kreedak fleet chased after the fleeing Borg, a massive number of small craft which had been hiding under cloak engaged their warp dives only a few thousand kilometers from the Kreedak. Ship after ship was blown apart in rippling multi gigaton blasts. Jess'nel was thrown to the floor as three of the flying bombs impacted the Battle Hive. "Report!"

"One third of our fleet is gone, and many more report heavy damage. The Borg seem to be using large shuttlecraft filled with anti-matter to ram our vessels at warp. Your orders my lord?"

"Are you detecting any more cloaked ships?"

"None within sensor range my lord, but Borg cloaks are difficult to penetrate."

"We must complete our mission. Bring us into range to strike the planet, and fire the main cannon at the closest station."

"Understood my lord." The Kreedak fleet continued toward the Borg planet, long range torpedo platforms savaging them with volley after volley of Chronoton warheads. Kreedak scientists still hadn't found a way to block them and so had begun adding additional armor to the Kreedak fleet, but this also reduced their speed and maneuverability.

As more and more vessels fell from both sides, several groups of Dark Bio Ships dropped cloak in the rear of the Kreedak fleet. Heavy bio beams tore through shields and armor, destroying hundreds of ships in seconds. The Borg fleet then advanced, losing over half its number to tri-phasic torpedoes but ripping through the Kreedak formation. The Battle Hive was destroyed by a Bio Ship planet killer formation. With the loss of their command ship the Kreedak ships moved to retreat.

As the Kreedak ships entered their subspace tunnels, a barrage of bio beams accidentally struck an opening aperture, causing a large explosion that destroyed a dozen Borg and Kreedak ships. When the light from the detonation does down a wormhole was visible. It was a dark blue with white streaks and opened and closed randomly.

"Analysis on the wormhole?" Commander Alana demanded.

"_Type 2 wormhole. Aperture diameter 15 kilometers. High levels of tetrion and delta radiation. Exit point unknown." _The Collective replied.

"Queen Alissa may be able to use this." With a thought Alana directed a Sphere into the wormhole. If its exit point lay in Kreedak space it cold provide the Borg with a way to strike the Kreedak from two directions. If not, there could be races on the other end of the

wormhole with technology the Borg could use. Either way, they would soon know.

**So how was that? The Borg are getting smarter, using shuttles against warships. So where will the wormhole lead? I was thinking it could be used to bring another galaxy into the story, say Stargate Sg-1? What do you think? Well, see ya all in the next exciting chapter, and don't forget to review!**

**ENTILZA**


	22. Chapter 22: Darkness of the Past

**Chapter 22: Darkness of the Past **

The Borg Sphere exited the wormhole and found itself in an unknown star system. It took several minutes for the Sphere to triangulate its position, which was only possible through its link with the Collective. Not a single star was visible, only a swirling blackness that seemed far away and yet close enough to touch. The Sphere was in a region of space that was supposedly filled with a massive radioactive nebula. There were dozens of vessels scattered throughout the system, most intact but registering as nearly 200,000 years old. A report was sent to Queen Alissa, who arrived a few hours later in her Diamond.

"Amazing," Alissa said, gazing out at the abandoned system. "Nearly 200,000 thousand years old. These ships must have been built by one of the first races to evolve in our galaxy. Begin a full scan. I want to know what else is here." As the Flagship Diamond's sensors slowly mapped the system, Alissa drew one of the vessels into the Diamond's docking bay. It was a fairly large vessel, 1,249 meters long. It was constructed of dark blue and silver metals and refracted the Borg sensor scans. It had a long, thin main body, with two large wings extending from the rear compartment. All in all it greatly resembled an Andorian warship.

"What's going on Big Sister?" Sinal asked as she entered the command deck.

"Thanks to an accident in a battle with the Kreedak we've been able to access a system that has apparently been isolated for 200,000 years. We're bringing aboard a vessel for analysis. Would you care to join me?" Sinal nodded and followed Alissa as they beamed to the main docking bay.

**… **

The hatch of the alien ship took over thirty minutes to open. It was protected by a multi-geometric combination lock with a fractal code. Inside the corridors of the alien ship were dark, with only low intensity blue glow panels casting everything in shadow. The air was unsurprisingly stale and old. There was evidence of a firefight along many of the corridors, with scorch marks and collapsed bulkheads. Sinal picked up a weapon she found. It was the size of a hand phaser, though with more of a pistol design. She ran her scanner beam over it. "Big Sister!" She called.

"What is it Sinal?" Alisa asked. Sinal handed her the pistol. "Hmm, some sort of energy weapon, though its technology is unlike anything I've seen before." Alissa called in more drones to search the ship. If the rest of its systems were as advanced as the hand weapon, this could prove very valuable to the Borg.

Five hours yielded many interesting results for the Borg search teams. The vessel was much more advanced than even Alissa's latest designs. Its hull was composed of materials that defied quick analysis, its weapons were far more powerful than Borg disruptors, and the rest of its systems would have to be brought on-line to analyze them. One thing that interested Alissa was several life signs coming from the system's third planet. They had only detected them thanks to the alien vessel's sensors. The planet itself was covered with ice, and vast cloud banks obscured most of the surface. The life signs were coming from ten kilometers below the surface. Alissa, along with a small drone squad, beamed down.

The group materialized in an ice encrusted corridor. The lighting systems were off-line so the drones used their wrist mounted illuminators. Alissa stayed in the center of the group. It was 3 degrees below zero in the corridor, and Alissa shivered. She ignored it and the group marched for nearly ten minutes before coming to a door which was frozen open. Inside were a row of stasis pods, three of which had been smashed by a falling support beam. Inside were the frozen remains of three humanoids. Alissa had their bodies beamed to the Sphere for analysis. The other seven bodies were still intact amazingly. Several consoles were on-line at the far edge of the room. A drone stuck his tubules into one but was thrown back by a massive energy surge. He was dead before he hit the ground.

"Interesting," Alissa remarked. Then a blue half sphere in the ceiling five meters overhead sparked and a projection of an alien woman shimmered into life. She was well over two meters tall, with pale blue skin and white hair that reached her waist.

"Intruder, you have come here seeking our technology. Your intrusion has activated this program. You have ten seconds to state your purpose or be destroyed." Alissa stepped forward.

"I am Alissa of the Borg Collective. We have come here seeking weapons and technology to use in our war with an alien race, the Kreedak. We detected-"

"Your time has expired. Analyzing response." A faint humming came from below the floor. One of the stasis pods rose slightly and gas began seeping from within. "You will remain where you are until the revevication process is completed. Any deviation will result in your destruction"

**… **

The drones and Alissa stayed motionless for over two hours. Finally the lid of the stasis capsule rose and the woman from the hologram stepped out on unsteady legs. She wore a simple white gown with gold thread lining the edges. Slowly she opened her eyes, deep red orbs filled with arrogance and pride.

"So, you know of the Kreedak do you?" The woman asked.

"Yes. My empire, the Borg Collective, is currently attempting to exterminate the Kreedak," Alissa replied. The woman looked intrigued.

"Then perhaps I won't kill you right away. Tell me, how did you come to this place?"

"One of my vessels triggered the formation of a wormhole when its weapons struck a Kreedak Subspace tunnel opening. That wormhole led us here." The woman snickered.

"So, those insectoid slugs are still around are they? I would have thought they would be gone by now."

"Well they're not, and they're out to conquer the Galaxy. The Borg are fighting them, but the outcome is still uncertain. Tell me, who are you and what is this place?"

"You should endeavor to act with more respect Ms. Alissa. I can have all of you destroyed in an instant, just as I have done to countless millions before."

"I wouldn't if I were you. Tell me, what happened to your race? Did the Kreedak destroy you?"

"No. They were only a small part of our downfall. Our empire spanned the galaxy. We subdued countless worlds, and crushed any who resisted us. Then we finally met a race with power equal to our own. They called themselves the Iconians."

"The Iconians?" Alissa repeated. The Iconians were one of the oldest raced known to have existed. Their empire had fallen around 200,000 years ago. Their gateways had been discovered on two worlds and had shown their extreme technological advancements.

"Yes. Their empire spanned a third of the galaxy. We fought them, killing as many of them as we could. Our warships were superior to their own, but their gateway technology enabled them to strike anywhere at any time, and their computer viruses were devastating, but we never faltered. Towards the end of the war we developed a version of their gateway technology for our warships, which also made them immune to the Iconian gateways, but then the plague struck. Developed by the Iconians as a last resort, it killed over two thirds of our population. We bombarded the Iconian homeworld to dust and ended the war, but then those vile Kreedak came. They had been watching us, waiting to strike. In our weakened condition, we were defeated." There was venom in the woman's voice now. "Our last ships mounted a defense of our homeworld, but against millions of Kreedak ships, we were overwhelmed. And so the last of us slept, waiting for our chance to strike back."

"Well I'd say that time has come," Alissa replied. "The Kreedak are coming at us hard, and if the Borg fall, the Kreedak WILL dominate this galaxy. I can't bring back your empire, but I can give you the revenge you wish for. Come with me, and when we bring the war to Kreedak space, I'll allow you to burn their worlds to your heart's content." The woman smiled.

"You're very cold for someone so young."

"I learned the hard way that if you want peace and order there can be only one race to achieve it. I lost a good and treasured friend because I tried to help others, and for their act that race was exterminated."

"Then we have much in common Ms. Alissa. My race learned that lesson early in our history. If I do decide to help you, what will I get in return?"

"After this galaxy is taken, I plan on conquering others. You can have your pick of any galaxy I discover to conquer and rule as you see fit. On this you have my word as Queen of the Borg."

"Words are worth little. However, given the obvious state of my world's defenses, which would have destroyed you if they had been functioning, I suppose I will allow you to work with my people."

"You have my gratitude," Alissa replied, already thinking of what the Collective could do with the technology of this system. "Now then, I plan on beginning the Collective's newest series of strikes against the Kreedak in just over two months. We have that much time to refit the Borg fleet and prepare. You… I'm sorry; I don't believe you ever said your name."

"My name is Ishara, Prin'tel of the Dray'nal Empire. Now, we have much to do. I will revive the others and begin analyzing your technology. You will be given what advancements we can graft to your primitive vessels. Then, once we have advanced you to the stage where we can construct new vessels, nothing will be able to stop us." Both women grinned at that.

**So, how was that? So the Borg have found a powerful new ally. Will the tide of war now turn against the Kreedak? Will Ishara betray Alissa? And what will the Kreedak do when they see their ancient enemy again? Keep reading and find out. See ya all in the next chapter, and don't forget to review! **

**ENTILZA **


End file.
